Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine February 2018 Vol 3 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV)” From this passage we learn several things. The first is that Timothy was a man who had a great knowledgeof theScriptures (even greater than that of his peers because of the ministry of his mother and grandmother) and that knowledge made him wise to the point where he received salvation through faith in Christ. This goes right along with what Paul taught in Romans 10:17 where he said, “...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ (NIV).” Lesson #1: The Word Must Be Preached and Taught So That We Can Come to Faith! The second thing we see from this passage is that all Scripture is God-breathed. Paul’s use of the term breath is no mistake. It is the same picture that we see in Genesis 2:7 where the Lord breathed the “breath of life” into the dust of the earth that became Adam. The Apostle Peter emphasized a similar concept by teaching that “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke

from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:21 NIV).” The Word of God, both the Old and New Testaments, while written by human authors were given life by the Lord. Lesson #2: The Holy Bible Comes From the Lord and Not From Man! The third thing we see is that the Word of God is useful for four things: 1. The Word is Useful for Teaching . This is a pretty simple concept to apply. Based on its authority and exclusivity, as being divinely inspired, it is the first and last book that we should look to for guidance in our walk with the Lord and in our daily life. That does not mean that we should not seek other resources (like the many great books available at a Christian bookstore or the ever- growing websites that help us grow in our faith) but we should be always on our guard against spiritual junk food. Spiritual junk food is something that you rwead or hear that sounds good, and might even sound like it honors the Lord, but when you compare it with the Bible you see contradictions. Just like our NFR cowboys don’t get there eating Cheetos and Big Macs (at least not exclusively)... don’t settle for spiritual junk food! Study the Bible! 2. The Word is Useful for Rebuking . Rebuking in the arena is where you are confronted with something you are doing wrong. For me, it usually sounds like: “Dude, what are you thinking?” It is

J anuary 23, 2018 Gearing Up for the Finals – 2 Timothy 3:14-17 While winter time causes complications outside…this is the prime time of the year when it comes to the sport of rodeo. We obviously have ProRodeo’s National Finals Rodeo in Vegas in December. As I write this article, I have quite a few friends that are heading to Oklahoma City for the International Finals Rodeo. By the time we go to print, most of us will be waiting with anticipation for 2018’s version of “The American.” One of the great things about the rodeo arena is that it is often a picture, in the physical, of what should be happening in our relationships with Christ in the spiritual. After we place our faith in Christ and as the Holy Spirit continues to sanctify and teach us we should be constantly striving toward having a closer walk with Jesus. Paul, in his final charge to his young protégé Timothy, encouraged him with what I believe is the best outline for growing in your walk with the Lord. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Paul wrote:

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