Wednesday; March 7

Where do we get our spiritual training?  Some of us grew up going to church and learned a lot of the basic Bible stories.  Many of us continue to seek out spiritual education through personal Bible study, Mid-week Bible Classes and weekly lessons and worship services.  All of these are great choices for developing our spiritual selves, but we must be cautious about how we supplement this training.  You see, there is a lot of religion being taught all around us.  While some of it is good, there is a lot of it that just flat misses the mark.  It seems like a lot of people are happy to share their religious expertise, but not all of it is accurate.  Politicians, spiritual leaders, entertainers, athletes, busybodies, store clerks ... and a number of other people are quick to speak for God and godliness, but we must be careful because not all the self-proclaimed experts really are that – experts.  They may have a college degree or have merely graduated from the school of hard knocks, but just because they espouse a spiritual thought or philosophy doesn’t mean that it is true and accurate.  Anyone can claim religious insight, but not all of it meets the standards of godliness.
Interestingly, the burden of discernment is placed on each one of us.  Sure, false teachers will have to answer to God, but we bear the individual burden of spiritual due diligence.  We are responsible for protecting our own souls.  The Apostle Paul placed this responsibility square on our shoulders when he wrote, “... we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming ...”. (Philippians 4:14)
Are we certain of our spiritual education and our salvation?  As we stand before the Righteous Judge we’ll have to defend our choices – and there will be no room for finger-pointing.
Think About It!

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