Day 87 · Week 13
Passage: Matthew 5:18; Isaiah 40:8
Memory Verse: Matthew 5:17
Matthew 5:18 (KJV)
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
A jot was an extremely small letter, and a tittle was a tiny stroke that distinguished one written character from another.
Jesus used the smallest details of writing to emphasize the reliability and authority of God's Word.
People's opinions change. Cultures change. Popular ideas come and go. God's Word does not become unimportant simply because a teaching becomes inconvenient.
Isaiah says, “the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
That does not mean every command in Scripture applies to Christians in exactly the same way. The Bible itself shows that Christ fulfilled the sacrificial and ceremonial system that pointed forward to Him. But we do not decide what matters merely by preference.
We study carefully. We compare Scripture with Scripture. We ask what a passage meant, how it fits into God's plan of salvation, and how Jesus and the apostles understood it.
Most importantly, we approach Scripture with a willingness to obey what God shows us.
It is possible to study the Bible merely to win arguments. Jesus calls disciples to something better: listening because these are the words of our Father.
Why should Christians be careful about dismissing a biblical teaching simply because it is unpopular or inconvenient?
When I read Scripture, am I mainly looking for confirmation of what I already think, or am I willing for God to correct me?
Ask God to give your family respect for His Word, wisdom to understand it, and willing hearts to follow what He teaches.