“Study to show yourself approved unto God” – 2 Timothy 2:15

Back in high school and college, just like many people, I used to do just enough to get by. That is, until the day before the final exam. I would then spend hours and hours cramming knowledge into my head that I should have gotten well before that time. Then, I would come into the final exam feeling a little less than confident. Thankfully, I would do well, but it was an extremely stressful time that I never quite knew if I’d make it or not.

Don’t let this be the way you live your life! So many people I meet every day, whether they are unbelievers or lifelong Christians, are a little less than confident in where they are going when this life is over. People often fear the unknown, but it doesn’t have to be that way. God placed before us all of the knowledge that we need in order to see the truth. And the truth is not a something, it’s a somebody, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Don’t get me wrong, even solid believers have questions sometimes. That’s OK. Questions are fine and God welcomes them, just as any good father does. For those questions, God has given us the textbook to study from for the answers. Our lives are an open book test. If we don’t use the book, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

That being said, the Bible is just a collection of words without the Holy Spirit placing that word in your heart. You can memorize the whole book and be able to spit it out word for word, but are you living that word? Is the Spirit of God’s Eternal Word helping you your everyday life? Make sure to read your Bible, but it is just as important to spend time with the Word Himself.

I had one class, humanities oddly enough, that the professor wrote the textbook. She knew when we hadn’t read the text and tried to “fudge” the answers. It used to make her so mad. Don’t let God feel the same way. Make no mistake, you can’t “fudge” your way into Heaven. You’re either saved or you’re not. No amount of burning incense or standing on one foot three times a day will make you free. Accept Christ and His finished work on the cross. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the cost that we couldn’t pay. Those that the Son have made free are free indeed. The least we can do is come nearer to God through His Word. Read your Bible and spend time with Christ in prayer so that when the time comes, you are confident going into your last assessment.

Jesus is the answer to the final exam. Don’t get that one wrong.

DH