A Berean State of Mind!

Now the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They search the scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. (Acts 17:11, NLT)

Very early on in my walk with Christ, I found myself involved in a dispute with another Christian who was also early on in his walk. We were both steadfast in our belief, but the problem was that the beliefs weren't actually ours. They were those of our respective mentors. His mentor had taught him one thing, mine had taught me another, and the two of us just know our mentor had to be right. So we did the only thing we could do, we each went to our own mentor looking for proof that what we'd been taught we right. His mentor gave him some proof, mine didn't.

Now, while I didn't receive the proof I was looking for on that day, what I did receive was and has continued to be one of the most useful pieces of instruction I have ever received from my mentor. On the day that I asked for proof, he told me to open my Bible and find it for myself. "Don't believe it because I believe it, believe it because God revealed it to you. Study your Bible and God will tell you what it's saying." This was the instruction I received on that day, and it was also the instruction I received any time he and I discussed the Bible. See, my mentor, having been taught some things that were wrong by his mentors, understood the importance of the man or woman knowing the Bible for themselves and it was something he instilled in me. Today I wish to do the same for you.

If you are currently being mentored by a man or woman of God, I don't care who they are or what title they hold: apostle, bishop, pastor, reverend, what ever it might be. Nor do I care how long you have known them, how much they know about the Bible, or how much you trust what they know about the Bible. The only thing I care about is that you are not blindly following what they believe or teach. This is your responsibility. And if you are a person who is doing the mentoring you have a responsibility too. It is your responsibility to make sure that the person or persons whose spiritual growth you're responsible for are not blindly following what you are teaching. The apostle Paul understood this perfectly.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV) The most dynamic teacher of the word we have ever seen besides Christ himself understood the necessity of the man who was tutoring knowing the word for himself and he instructed Timothy accordingly. We, as teachers of the word and mentors to those growing in faith, should do the same. The word of God is every Christian's blueprint on how to live life, but good is a blueprint if a person can't understand it?

So, today, whether you are a person instructing others in the word or you are the one receiving the instruction, let us act in unity on this. Let's open our Bibles; let's pray to the Lord for understanding; let's dig into the scriptures for ourselves; and let's allow the Holy Spirit to open them to our understanding. Today let us adopt a Berean state of mind. Let's listen eagerly to what we are being taught; then let's search the scriptures day after day to see if what we are being taught is the truth.

Prayer for the day: Our Father in heaven, continue to send you Holy Spirit to help us discern the truths to be found in your Word. Daily may we grow in faith and knowledge of the truth. Amen.