Quote from Forum Archives on April 7, 2009, 10:46 am

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 377 new subscribers since January 1, 2009!!

04.06.09

Search the Scriptures

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.
When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more
fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with
all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these
things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the
Greeks, prominent women as well as men. - Acts 17:10-12.

In Elkhart, Indiana while searching an apartment during a drug raid officers
found a handwritten recipe for manufacturing methamphetamine in an unusual
place. The meth recipe was written in a Bible on the last page of the Book
of Revelation. Two of the residents of the apartment were arrested and
charged with possession and manufacturing charges. Several months ago a
methamphetamine lab actually blew up in the same apartment building. I guess
what I find most strange about this is that one of the officers took time to
read the Bible during the search! Probably, something drew the officer's
attention to the Bible, and they may have been searching for something other
than drugs which would have required a more intensive search. I do, however,
think that it is a wonderful thing that these officers were searching the
pages of the Bible - searching the Scriptures.

In the comparison of the Bereans and Thessalonicans we see a stark contrast.
Many of the Thessalonicans were hard-hearted, and close-minded toward the
Gospel; they were unwilling to even listen to how the Scriptures could have
been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. They had their story and they were
sticking to it. They were just mad that anyone would have the nerve to even
suggest that the Messiah had come, and they had missed Him. Their attitude
is somewhat similar to the Muslim world's harsh persecution of Christians
today. If a Christian has the audacity to share their faith with a Muslim
they risk being put to death. However, there are still Christians today with
the same courage of the Holy Spirit spoken of by the apostle John as he says
in Revelation 12:11, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the
death."

The attitude of the Bereans was an attitude of seeking the truth. The
Bereans realized that they could possibly have missed out on something
spiritually. In other words, the Bereans did not think that they had arrived
spiritually and knew all there was to know about God and the spiritual
world. They were willing to search the Scriptures to see if these things
that Paul was saying could possibly be true. As a result of their study of
the Scriptures many of them believed in Jesus Christ.

Even though we have the New Testament readily available to us today we still
need to search the Scriptures. There are those today that would love to sell
you their own personal religious philosophy based upon their spiritual
experience. We must be careful to search the Scriptures to make sure that
the "experience" is verified by the Word of God. As we prayerfully search
the Scriptures does the Holy Spirit verify that these things are true or
not.

If you are reading these words today, and you are not a Christian I want to
challenge you to do as the Bereans did. Read the Bible beginning with the
New Testament and ask God to reveal the truth to you as you search the
Scriptures.

Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the
Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they
will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always
in need of prayer - please pray for me. Thank you for your prayers for my
voice!! The Doctor yesterday said that it appeared to be healed. The polyp
on the vocal fold that had eroded and looked like an ulcer is gone!!).

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