Do Your Best
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman
who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
What God intended for us to know in this passage is that we are responsible
to learn God’s word and be willing to teach it properly. Of course, since
Paul is writing to a young evangelist, we should understand that every evangelist
should follow these words of advise.
The King James version of the bible starts this verse off: “study
to shew thyself approved…”
The New King James and the New American Standard versions start this verse off
with: “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one who does
not need to be ashamed…” Some of the more modern versions
have what I think is the best wording on this passage. The NIV and the CEV versions
read : “Do your best…” The Living Bible reads:
“Work hard…”. What all these versions convey
to us is that we are supposed to study God’s word well enough so that
we can present it to others without being ashamed of what it teaches. It also
means that we do not apologize for the Bible if people are offended by the truth.
Because the truth hurts, and the reason the truth hurts is because it is right.
Many people who wear the name “Christian” do not study God’s
word enough. Oh, they may read from time to time, and they may even read the
Bible through from beginning to end. But if they are not putting what they read
into application, they are wasting their time. Reading and knowing what God
expects of you is not the same as to actually do what God wants you to do. Another
problem is that too many people take what their teachers give them without checking
to see if it agrees with the Bible. Read Acts 17:11
The purpose of the context of this passage is, as we read in the NIV, to correctly
handle the word of Truth. One version says that in order to do this we must
“rightly divide the word of Truth” We must be diligent,
that is to make every effort and to work hard to accomplish this. We must learn
God’s word and do God’s word before we can teach God’s word.
Read Ezra 7:10. There is a great responsibility to become a teacher of God’s
Word. Every preacher should approach their duty with the intention of teaching
exactly what God wants the people to know. Read 1 Peter 4:11.
Our goal at the Hwy 90 Church of Christ is to teach the truth of God’s
word properly. We are very careful to respect the Bible and to recognize it
as our source of authority. Our studies are simple yet intensive. We really
want to learn God’s word so that we will not be ashamed of it or ashamed
to teach it to others. If this sounds like one of your goals, please come visit
us.
In the end, we want to stand before God as a group of people who taught the
truth of God’s word, and was not ashamed to do so.
God is not willing that any perish (2 Peter 3:9). You must believe that
Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for your sins. (Acts 8:37). You
must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), you must confess
Jesus as Lord (Matthew 10:32) and you must be baptized for
the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Then you must remain faithful
and continue learning how to serve God (2 Peter 3:18). Let us help
you on your spiritual journey. May God bless you in your study of His word.
Please visit us at:
By Carey Scott via the Madisonville Meteor; September 9, 2009
Return to the Newspaper Articles page
Return to the General Articles page
Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /