Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Show Yourself Approved

I woke up this morning and something was different. Things were quiet this morning, too quiet. Was it that the rooster had mysteriously died during the night? No, I was not that lucky. Was it that boats were not running up and down the river today because of some holiday that I did not know about? No, boats were still running but something was different, something was missing. Finally it hit me, there were no children laughing or giggling. Every morning since we had been here started with the same sounds, children playing in the river, getting their morning baths and just having the time of their lives. So why was this morning different? Where were all the kids?
Today is the first day of school! All of the children of Port Kaituma were packing up their meager school supplies and with uniform on they headed off to school. This was the first time in my life that I had ever seen a school bus boat. I guess all of the children had gotten up early to get their bath and now they were heading off for a day of learning and hanging out with friends. I don't like this! It's too quiet!
My senior year of school I took Honors English. I had never taken Honors English because reading was not my best subject and there was a summer reading list for that class. That meant homework before school even started! Who wants to do homework during summer break? That could really hinder my time doing very important things like hanging out at the pool or with friends. But somehow I was talked into taking Honors English my senior year and I was to read three books over the summer. Much to my dismay none of them had a movie out and it would take me all summer long just to read the cliff notes of these books. So I did what any self respecting and diligent student would have done. I read one of them and glanced at another and prayed over the third book. I prayed a lot because I knew that I could not even tell you the story line of these books and we were going to be tested on these books the first week of school. Needless to say I walked into my Seniors Honors English class that first day with much fear and trembling. I sat at my desk praying that we would have a freak snow storm in August or that someone would pull the fire alarm but that never happened and some of the first words out of my teachers mouth was, "Ok, who did their summer reading?" After the tests were graded, it was obvious that I had not read my books. I was ashamed, along with most of my class. Being called into an honors class is just that, an honor. My teacher knew I was capable of doing the work but at that moment I was not worthy of that honor.
Spiritually we have been called to a very similar honor. God has called us into His service and He has given us a reading list of 66 books. Lucky for us they compiled it all into one volume so it is easier to carry. We know it as the Bible. So God has called us to be His ambassadors, His representatives. This means that we are to go wherever He tells us to go, confront any obstacle that is in front of us. When someone stops us, we are to use His name as the pass. The tools of this job are found within this 66 book reading list. The question is do you know which tool to use and when to use it? God is the teacher but are we willing to learn?
Paul speaks to Timothy about this great honor, in his book II Timothy 2:15. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." Paul was telling Timothy that you should never stop learning the Scriptures because it is the word of truth. If we were to handle the Scriptures inaccurately then it would be the word of false not of truth. How terrible it would be to be an ambassador of God who represents Him in a wrongful manner. To then stand before God Almighty ashamed of our actions and ignorance. How humiliating it would be to have taken the honor God has bestowed on us and to hand it back to Him tattered and broken because we were lazy and selfish. God has called us for a purpose and He has been teaching and training us to do that purpose but if we have neglected to study and learn then when He calls us to act on that purpose, we stand there ashamed. No that won't do! When God calls me, I want to be ready! I want to show Him that I can accurately handle the word of truth. There is no greater honor than to understand that God wants to use me! Don't waste that honor. God has given us the answers but we must be diligent, learning to accurately handle the word of truth.

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