Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 128

May 8;   I Thessalonians 2:13;   184/260(I);   ‘Receiving the Word’

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we will never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn't think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God — which, of course, it was. And this word continues to work in you who believe.      NLT

The things that made the Apostle Paul happy were not necessarily what makes most of us happy.  Spiritual things, not natural things made Paul happy.  Spiritual things were Paul’s treasure and that is where his heart was also.  Paul was elated that when he preached the gospel to the people of the Thessalonian Church, and they received what he taught as the Word of God, not the words of Paul.  God’s Word, the Bible, is our protection.  The Word of God never changes.  The Author of the Word of God is the Holy Spirit.  God’s Word was the protection of the Thessalonians and His Word is our protection as well.  Much of religion is the words of men.  Those words change and have no lasting value.  God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), not the words of men.  As you walk with the Lord Jesus, make sure everything you are taught is the Word of God.  Make sure that what you are taught at church is indeed the Word of God, chapter and verse.  Think very carefully on this, blessings in this life and eternity hinge on the knowledge you accept as truth. The Bible never changes, you can stand on and live by everything the Word says.  That is what we are supposed to do.  It is very hard to know error if you do not know the truth.  Once you know what the Bible teaches, you can check out what others say about the Lord with the scriptures.  If what they say does not line up with the Word, pay no attention to what is said.  Here is another way to know how wonderful the Word is, its truths continually work in your life.  When you do what the Word says you receive what the Word says.  Indeed you always will.