Acts 17:11

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

I Corinthians 2:9-10 “’No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’ 10But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets.”

Acts 17:11 “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.”

I’m reading a couple different books by Christian authors. One of them was recommended by a Christian financial advisor for people who are looking for a career change. In the goal-setting part of this book, under “Financial,” the author quotes the Psalm verse.

I don’t really have a problem with financial goal-setting in general. Somehow, though, the inclusion of this verse makes it look as though the author is implying that God meant financial prosperity for every person who trusts in him. And that doesn’t sound right at all. It sounds out of context. Then I read all of Psalm 37, and the overall message was that God will cause the righteous to prosper and the wicked to fail. Hmm. I’ll have to think and pray about that some more.

The other book talks about what heaven is like, only the author describes heaven in a different way than I’ve ever heard it described. He said that many authors will quote I Cor. 2:9 as their way of supporting the idea that we can’t know what heaven is like, but this author continues with v. 10 to support the idea that God has revealed heaven to us and we can know something of what it’s like.

With both books, now, I’m reading them side-by-side with an open Bible, so I can check the context of the verses they quote. I want to be sure they’re interpreting Scripture in a way that doesn’t misuse God’s word. Especially with the book on heaven, it’s too important a topic to go along with an author who might be getting it wrong.

How trusting are you of Christian authors? Is there something you need to be checking against Scripture, especially in context? If you’re in doubt, ask the Lord to reveal his meaning and his will to you by the Spirit. He will give you wisdom, if you ask.

May we all be like the Bereans.

Brenda