Handling with Care

First Christian Church of Chicago
2 days ago
2 min read

Scripture Focus: 2 Timothy 2:15

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (NIV)

Devotional Thought

Some things do not require careful reading – junk mail, chain letters, etc. However, when something matters deeply — an old family letter, an antique family Bible, or a will — we instinctively slow down and read it with care. Paul invites Timothy to treat Scripture the same way.

Interpretation

Paul’s charge to Timothy unfolds in a context of false teaching and confused doctrine within the Ephesian church. The phrase “correctly handles” translates a verb meaning “to cut straight,” evoking imagery of a craftsman making a clean, accurate cut — whether a mason cutting stone or a farmer plowing a straight furrow. The emphasis is precision rooted in responsibility. Timothy is to engage Scripture with disciplined study, reverent attentiveness, and fidelity to the apostolic gospel. “Approved” speaks of one whose work is assessed and found genuine — someone who honors God not through cleverness or novelty, but through faithfulness. In a world saturated with misinformation and half-truths, Paul grounds Timothy’s leadership in careful interpretation shaped by humility, diligence, and devotion to truth.

Contemporary Relevance

Followers of Jesus still face the temptation to handle Scripture loosely — pulling verses out of context, turning biblical truth into slogans, or using God’s Word as a tool to win arguments rather than to form character. Slow down, study attentively, check our assumptions, listen to the broader witness of Scripture, and approach the Bible as a holy trust. Handling Scripture with care means engaging both heart and mind, seeking not only what God says but what God means. Let Scripture challenge us, correct us, and shape us rather than using it to reinforce our biases. When we pursue careful interpretation, we become workers unashamed — people whose lives bear the mark of God’s truth rightly understood and faithfully lived.

Quote of the Day

"The task of the interpreter is not to make the Bible say what we want it to say, but to have the courage to hear what it actually says—even when it challenges our preferences. This requires a patient, disciplined listening that honors the text's integrity over our own convenience." — Dr. Esau McCaulley

Reflection Question

Where might God be inviting you to slow down and handle His Word with greater care—whether in study, interpretation, or application?

Prayer Prompt

Ask God to cultivate in you a humble, attentive heart that treats Scripture as a sacred trust and to guide you into truth as you seek to interpret His Word faithfully.