When I was really young, I was in Cub Scouts. One of the BEST things about that experience was the pinewood derby. If you aren’t familiar, it is a competition where the Scout carves a car out of pine, puts wheels on it, paints it, and then races it against the cars created by all the other Scouts. It is a blast! The creativity on display was astounding. There were cars that looked like Indy cars and others that looked like a block of wood with wheels. Mine was a very basic but aerodynamic shape that I painted with Iowa Hawkeye colors because why not?

My dad helped me carve the car and to make it easier, we were using one of his best fishing knives that he used to fillet the fish he caught. When it came time for me to do some of the carving he cautioned me, “That knife is really sharp so be careful!” So, what did my 8-year-old curious self do? Rather than heed my father’s sound and wholesome advice, I ran my finger down the blade to see how sharp it really was. The result was one of those cuts that is so clean it doesn’t bleed right away… instead, it looks at you first as if to say, “What were you thinking?” and THEN it bleeds like crazy! My dad rushed to the cabinet to get the gauze and bandages and quickly set about patching me up with a vintage dad “I told you so” face.

Paul warned Timothy that a time was coming when people would follow their own desires and would no longer listen to the truth about Jesus. They would instead find teachers who would tell them only what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear. That made the message of the cross and Timothy’s mission all the more important. People needed to hear that God’s truth mattered. And that it could be found in the Word, not in clever words delivered by false teachers.

You too should look to the Word for truth. And surround yourself with good teachers who can help you interpret the Word when you get stuck. That was a BIG reason why we wanted to get into God’s Word this year and why I love the leadership at Hope. We are fortunate to have people who, like Timothy, are not afraid to preach the Good News of God and not the “good news according to themselves”.

So stay sharp friends!

Questions for reflection:

  1. Why are we so prone to ignore good advice when we hear it? Especially when it comes to matters of faith.
  2. When we listen to false teaching, where does it lead us? Why is God’s Word so important in today’s culture?