Scripture

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Scripture

Wisdom   Salvation

Equip   Prepare   Holdfast

Remain Faithful To Beliefs

Proclaim

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Second Timothy 3:14 and 15

Remain faithful to your beliefs.

You know who taught you.

You have known the sacred scriptures from your infancy.

These scriptures give you wisdom for salvation because you have placed your faith in Jesus.

Reflection

How important is the Bible in your life?

Many of us are overwhelmed when we think of the Bible. So many books. So many different translations. Where do I start?

We respect the scriptures. We have been inspired by certain passages. 

It is important as we approach the scriptures to be patient and to persevere. It is good to have a guide to help us and to join a good Bible study group to assist us on our journey.

We find a lot of wisdom in the scriptures. There will be certain passages that we read that touch our hearts and our souls. They make sense to us as we reflect on our own life experiences.

We begin to slowly see that the main message of the scriptures is one of Good News: God wants to offer us the gift of salvation. God has sent Jesus to us to unlock the Wisdom that God knows we need to live a fruitful life.

The scripture equips us for the challenges that we will face in our lives. It helps us to deal with the loss of those who are close to us. It assists us in dealing with rejection, failure, and prejudice. 

The scripture prepares us to bring justice to our world. We quickly discover that there are those who work to dominate and exploit others. The scriptures show us another way and encourage us to help the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and those in need.

The scripture reminds us to hold fast to the teachings of the patriarchs, the prophets, and Jesus to love God and to love our neighbor. It can be easy to give up in the face of adversity and failure, but the scriptures encourage us to be persistent and to persevere as Paul and Timothy did.

If we remain faithful to our beliefs, we can help those who are discouraged and in need. We can begin to live the message of the scriptures every day in our encounters with others.

It is a challenge to remain faithful. It can seem like the message of the scriptures is being ignored by those who lie and cheat their way to "success". 

The scriptures proclaim a path of understanding, compassion, and love. They tell us that God is love and command us to love others as Jesus has loved us.

In our reading Paul tells Timothy to hold fast to the teaching of the scriptures he has received from his infancy and to place his trust in Jesus.

 

Today we have that same advice to read, study, pray over, and live the scriptures. We know that they will inspire us and lead us to real success and true happiness.

Enjoy your journey with the scriptures!

1. Do you find it challenging to read the scriptures?

2. What resources have you found helpful in your study of the Bible?

3. What passages in the scriptures have you found helpful in your faith journey?

4. How difficult is it for you to remain faithful to your beliefs?

5. As you contemplate Kathy's photo, what are the doors you will be going through to discover more about the scriptures?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)