A present wraped in paperIn my morning Bible reading I came across a verse I had never noticed before. I love how the Holy Spirit does that. It’s like wandering through your house and finding a present someone gave you that you haven’t opened yet. A surprise. A treasure. Here’s the verse as Eugene Peterson renders it in his paraphrase of the Bible.

 [blockquote author=”Matthew 13:52 (The Message)” link=”” target=”_blank”]Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.[/blockquote]

As I looked at that verse I saw several things of importance. First, it speaks of a student. We are in a life-long “university.” We ought to be learning every day. Both professionally and personally.

The verse says “…well-trained in God’s kingdom….” We are not just students. We are to be good students. We ought to be eager to learn, digging out information and absorbing it, memorizing it, and applying it. Whether we are talking about our leadership roles, our communication ministries, or our spiritual lives, we need to be that diligent workman that Paul talked about in his letter to Timothy.

[blockquote author=”II Timothy 2:15 (NLT)” link=”” target=”_blank”]Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.[/blockquote]

What is exciting to think about is the result of being a well-trained student. You can put your hands on what is needed exactly when it is needed. You probably have had that experience. Maybe you were on the air and a truth from God’s Word came to you so you could share it with the audience. Perhaps it was when counseling a friend who needed spiritual insight for a deep need, and you were able to put your “hands” on what was needed at just the right moment.

Can I be honest with you? When that happens to me, I don’t gloat or think “what a wonderful person I am.” I am usually humbled by it, and wish I had studied the Bible more so I could grab more “gems” from God’s storehouse.

Thankfully, the Lord is gracious and allows us to be life-long learners. We can recommit ourselves today to study…be a good worker…receive His approval…and be able to put our “hands” on what is needed when it is needed. If so, you will be blessed, and those around you will receive the wisdom from God’s storehouse of treasures… His Holy Word.