Day 2 - Monday - Connect the Testament: A 365-Day Devotionals with Bible Reading Plan - Logos
January 2: Scripture for War or Peace? Genesis 3–4; Matthew 3–4 ; Ecclesiastes 1:6–11 Like many people, I use Scripture to defend my views. But so does Satan. In Matthew 4 , the devil says: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ ” ( Matt 4:6 , citing Psa 91:11–12 ). In turn, Jesus responds with Scripture, “Again, it is written, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test’ ” ( Matt 4:7 , citing Deut 6:16 , coupled with Isa 7:12 ). While the devil used Scripture for his own purposes, Jesus used them for God’s. This teaches us that Scripture alone isn’t enough: it must be contextualized and balanced with other Scripture. This story raises the question, “Will we use Scripture to defend our own positions, or use it to defend God’s?” It’s easy to quote Scripture only to defend our personal theological position. Sometimes we are too focused on being “right” and not necessarily helping o...