ON THE VANGUARD

BACK TO SCHOOL
“Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.”
II Timothy 2:15

It is right around this time every year that I begin to seek God’s direction for the year to come. I am not one who likes to walk around aimlessly, but rather with purpose. So I spent some time in prayer over the weekend to get a sense for where God is directing me. The answer came sooner than I expected, but the word fit with what I expected. Allow me to explain.
Back in October I felt God telling me to not just make an effort, but to purposefully read His Word. Specifically, I felt Him tell me to read the Torah in daily portions. Sure I have read Genesis thru Deuteronomy many times, but there has been something different in reading them this time. Swallowing a portion as opposed to swallowing the whole made the understanding easier while still allowing me to be fed. But it is in this same simplicity that God spoke the key word for my next year as ‘STUDY’. Right away my spirit jumped at the words of II Timothy 2:15. Depending on what version you read, some will say, “Do all you can,” while others will simply and bluntly state, “Study…”, the truth is all the same. It is time for me to study.
But what am I to study for? In a way I feel like I have been in school all my life. Didn’t I learn enough from the school of hard knocks during my marriage and the divorce that followed? One could say that. This study, however, is different. There is a piece in me that feels like God has me on the edge of something big. I am not saying that this is the final step, but I feel like daily I am getting closer to that launching point. Yet what good is the launch if I have no idea what to do after the launch? It is for this reason that God is saying to me to study. Study to show myself approved, according to the King James. Study to win the approval of God, according to the Complete Jewish Bible. Study because of the fact that God does not want His people doing more harm than good as they work to bring others into the kingdom. The remainder of the verse tells us that we are to study so that we can rightly divide the Word. It does no good if I mash scriptures together to make it say what I want it to say. If that worked then in a way we would all be our own god, doing what we want.
I don’t want to be a god, but I do want to be God’s. I want to be God’s student. I want to be teacher’s pet, called on because I know the answer and am getting straight A’s on my report card. Be it in a physical school or a spiritual school, it comes with study. If I do not study how will I know the answer come test time? If I do not study how will I know the answer when called upon in class? And if I do not study how will I be able to help tutor others? For once I don’t mind being the one others make fun of and call names, for I know that keeping my nose in the books will only help prepare me for what is to come.
I am not sure what God may be speaking to you concerning a focus for the upcoming year, but despite everything, we are all encouraged in this verse to know God’s word. Again, our lack of being able to divide the truth may be the piece that does more harm than good to those we are around. So I encourage you, study. Know God’s commands, know His love, and know what He expects from you. Do I expect you to never fail again? No, for even in college I did poorly on a few tests despite how much I studied. But let us make more than just the effort and be purposeful. His Word has so much power, and it can change our lives just as much as the lives of others. The school bell is ringing. It is time for me, and perhaps for you, to go back to school.