how it works

I confess: I always loved the TV show “How It Works.”  I still watch re-runs when I can.  I have just never been fully satisfied to know that something does work, I really want to know how.

When I was in college, my university bought its first computer, primarily for use by the business office.  However, they opened up a night class to us math majors in Computer Programming.  I hated night classes, and although I was a senior, I had never taken one.  I took this one.  I wanted to learn how to make that beast work!

I loved it.  We learned to code in Fortran (I know that dates me, but it´s not like you can´t tell the same thing by looking at my face!).  Some years later the first home computers came out, and I bought one of the first offered by Radio Shack.  The operating system it came with accepted Basic as its programming language, and I learned it.  Again, I wanted to know how to make this brand new, cutting-edge machine work!

A friend of mine in the first church I pastored had similar inclinations.  Together we wrote programs to computerize the records of the church, more than a decade before commercial church software was available.  We digitized our membership records, contribution records, church accounting, and word processing.  We did all of that just because we wanted to, out of our desire to know how.

Everybody is not built that way, and I attribute no godliness to the characteristic.  But maybe you are that way.  Maybe you like to know how something works.  I find that there are others that do not have that innate curiosity, but learning how something works increases their confidence that something does work and will do so consistently.

Perhaps that is the reason why God tells us in His Word why obeying His Word works in accomplishing His goals for us, not just in hard times, but all the time.  Look at what He reveals.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV   16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

How does reading the Scripture work to accomplish God´s purposes in our lives?

• Because what we are reading is the very thing that God Himself has breathed out (the meaning of inspiration).
• God says that what He has caused to be written is profitable.  He is not here talking about money profitable, although sometimes that proves true also.  But He is talking about profitable for our lives and especially for accomplishing His purpose for our lives, which is ALWAYS good for us!
• Then the Spirit lists the particular ways God´s Word is profitable to us.

                   -Doctrine – basic teaching
                   -Reproof – telling us things that are wrong
                   -Correction – Telling us how to make the wrong things right
                  -Instruction in righteousness – practical instruction in how to be who God                       wants us to be

• The end result of this God says, is that the believer (man of God) may be complete (all God wants him or her to be).
• He or she may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Wow!  So that is HOW it works.  God has breathed out an instruction manual that is useful in multiple ways so that we may become everything God wants us to be in our lives.

That is truly wonderful!

But I must admit that one word bothers me. “MAY”

I want to read “WILL” or “SHALL.”

The text says “MAY,” and that is what the Greek text says.

​Hummmm.  There must be more to HOW this works than I have so far explained.  We will pick up here tomorrow.
 

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