Daily Devotion: Let It Say What It Says

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:33-40 

Key Verse: Verse 33 - “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.”

Key Words: Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes

While we are to read and study God’s Word, we are not to read things into God’s Word.  Let the Bible say what it says.  Do not make it say what you want it to say.  As we read God’s Word, we need to apply the three principles found in our text. The psalmist says in verse 33- “teach me,” in verse 34- “give me,” and in verse 35- “make me.”

If one is not careful, it is very easy to read things into God’s Word -- things that really are not there.  Let me give you an illustration.

Statistics can be made to say just about anything you want.  For instance, research demonstrates that pickles cause cancer, Communism, airline tragedies, auto accidents, and death.  About 99.9 percent of cancer victims have eaten pickles some time in their lives.  One hundred percent of soldiers have eaten them, along with 96.8 percent of Communist sympathizers.  In auto and air accidents, 99.7 percent of those involved downed a pickle at some point in their lives.  Moreover, those born in 1839 who ate pickles have suffered a 100 percent mortality rate.  Statistics and Scripture share one particular similarity.  You can twist them to your way of thinking, but it is not wise or safe to do so.

What to do:
    ✞ Let the Scripture say what it says, not what you want it to say.

    ✞ Ask the Holy Spirit to both guide and teach you as you study.
    ✞ Have one of the church staff or your Sunday School teacher explain Scripture you do not understand.

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