Searching: The Scriptures

Alright, before reading this, you should take a look at the first 11 verses of Acts chapter 17.
This is an interesting story. First of all, in this chapter, we are following Paul and Silas as they travel. They end up at Thessalonica after traveling through Amphipolis and Apollonia (verse 1). While there they start preaching the word, and Jesus as Christ, and they persuaded some (verse 4). But then trouble comes. The Jews see this and they get jealous and they form a mob. Things are starting to get a little ugly. They go in search for Paul and Silas and since they can't find them they decide to go after Jason. Eventually they end up releasing Jason; however, Paul and Silas slip away by night and head out for Berea.

A very brief background. Anyhow, the key verse for this post is verse 11. The people of Berea accepted the message. "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Tessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

First of all, they received the word with "great eagerness". They were thrilled, excited about hearing the word. How many times do we wake up Sunday morning and thing to ourselves "man, the last thing I want to do today is get up and go to Church this morning, I just want to sleep." I'd wager it happens quite often.

Second, they examined the scriptures, or in some other versions, they SEARCHED the scriptures. Not only did they search the scriptures, but they did so daily. Every day, or any new thing that Paul and Silas would preach they went straight back to the Word of God to see if what thy were saying lined up with Scripture. Are we doing this? If not, we need to be, and I greatly encourage you to start.

So many times our thoughts and views aren't based on what they should be. We have our viewpoints, or we allow other people to persuade our viewpoints, and we just accept them for the truth. Even our pastors can be wrong, they are only human after all.

We need to be like the people in Berea, we need to be searching the scriptures all the time. Not just when we hear something to go and check it out, to make sure that it lines up with what God says but, also everyday to see if our thoughts and actions are pleasing to God.

So, next time you are reading a spiritual book, go back to the Bible, and see if what the author is saying is correct. Next time you go to youth group, turn back to Scripture and make sure that it is right. Next Sunday when you go to Church, make sure that the pastor is speaking from the Word of God, and not just his own thoughts.

It's not what our friends, family, teachers, or pastors say that matters, it is the ever Holy, ever pure, ever right, ever sweet words of the one and only most awesome, eternal God.


Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!"