Approved

             Don’t you just love approval? It feels good. It is uplifting. I am just fine, if my family, friends, boss, and those who really matter to me approve of what I am doing, how I am doing it, how I look, etc. Approval is important in our everyday life. Sometimes we do anything to get it from the people dearest to us. It is a marvelous commodity.  In 2 Timothy 2:15, God says, “ Study and be eager to do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, (tested by trial) a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (Amplified Version). I want God’s approval. Another place in the Scriptures we are instructed to seek God’s approval rather than, or above men’s approval.

            Did you notice something interesting about the approval in 2 Timothy 2:15? Let’s look closer. At first glance, it seems that the way to present myself to God approved is to study His Word and “do my utmost for Him. Then I will be approved. Sounds pretty good to me. Although we have busy schedules, we can usually make time to study God’s word, and we are very good at “doing our utmost” for God most of the time. We should be able to present ourselves to God for His approval without too much hassle……Or can we? What exactly is God’s approval, and how do we win it? I thought that there was nothing good within us to gain God’s approval or favor. Our hope comes by accepting the work of Jesus in our lives and His redemption of our souls by His shed blood. 

            In the verse in Timothy, the word approved means- tested by trial. Now that is a whole new ballgame! I want to present myself to God for his approving smile and pat on the back (don’t you?). But God’s word says we are to present ourselves to God tested by trial—PROVED by the testing. OUCH. I’m looking for a pat on the back for all I’m doing for Him, and He is looking for someone proved loyal, trusting, and totally in His will and under His leadership—tested by trial.

            The trials we face are to test us, and the way to make it through those trials is to study God’s Word. God’s Word is what we stand on and use to make it through the trial. Looking down further in that verse, we see that in our study of the Word, we learn to analyze it (by the revelation of the Holy Spirit who applies the truths to our hearts) and accurately divide it. The “accurately dividing “ of the Word refers to rightly handling it and teaching it skillfully.

            Our enemy will try to do us in, in our trial, but if we have studied the Word of God, we learn how to handle that Word and apply it to our particular situation or trial that we are going through. The Word may be a promise to stand on, a rebuke to heed, or directions to follow. The right handling of God’s Word will bring us through the trial tested and proved. And we learn to handle the Word rightly by studying it.

            We also learn how to handle the Word rightly by teaching it. If you have ever had to give a lesson, whether it was to a children’s Sunday school or Vacation Bible School class, or to an adult or teen group, you know that you have to study and know what you are teaching, in order to teach effectively. It is amazing what you can learn when you have to teach.           

            So, we are instructed to skillfully teach the Word of Truth. What? “But I am not a teacher,” you say, “I don’t know how to teach,” and besides, “I don’t have a class to teach”. In our focus verse, note that it does not say, “This verse only applies to teachers who have a class or someone that has that interest”. This scripture is for everyone. We are all to be workmen who are correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling AND skillfully teaching) the Word of truth. That includes you and me. The Scripture is challenging us to find someone that we can teach what we are learning in the Scriptures. We can teach our children, the neighbor,or a friend. It does not have to be in a formal “teaching” setting. It can be in the form of simply sharing the Good News. Sitting in the living room or at a table works. So does talking via phone. We can volunteer to “sub” in one of the Sunday school classes in church- for just one Sunday. I am SURE that the regular teacher would not mind a Sunday off. Teaching the Word comes in many forms, sizes, and shapes. It does not all look the same, but it is something we all need to do, and it helps us to be able to present ourselves “tested by trial” before God.

            When we study God’s Word, allow His Holy Spirit to reveal its truth and application to our hearts, we can correctly analyze it and accurately handle God’s Word (apply it to our life and situations). When we also skillfully teach it, then we come through the trial and testing without cause to be ashamed, because we have been tried and found to be true in that we have studied and can deal effectively with the Word of Truth.

            Studying and reading God’s Word may not be your favorite thing to do. Pray that it becomes such, because knowing and using the Word of Truth is the only way to present ourselves to God approved—tested by trial.