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The faucet handle blew off as the water erupted, soaking me
and drenching the ceiling. In the next room, my wife and daughter erupted with
laughter as I dove under the bathroom sink, frantically grasping for the water
shut-off handle to stop the geyser.
By no means am I a plumber. You won’t catch me sweating pipe
joints. But replacing a washer to stop a leaking faucet is so simple, even I
can do it, and have many times before. So, I do know enough to turn off the
water leading to the faucet before
attempting to unscrew the faucet handle. Usually.
At some point that particular day, between deciding to fix
the dripping faucet in the morning and actually attempting to make the fix in
the afternoon, I convinced myself that I had, in fact, turned off the water to
the faucet. I truly believed the water was off. But, I didn’t bother to verify
what position the shut-off handle was in.
When we hear something that seems spiritual or sounds
Biblical, how often do we confirm it actually comes from the Bible? When
tempting Jesus in the desert, Satan quoted Scripture out of context to help
support his lies (Matthew 4:1-11). To fight back, Jesus also quoted Scripture,
but correctly. We also need to understand the Bible, so we can distinguish the
truth from the quasi-truth or outright falsehood.
Even if they are meant for good intentions, phrases like
“God helps those who help themselves,” or “Money is the root of all evil,” or “This
too shall pass” sure sound Biblical-ish, but they are not. The website blueletterbible.org
has a great collection of sayings not actually found in Scripture. (Small group
discussion idea!)
But what other sayings or phrases have we repeated, or
believed in, or relied on without confirming they are based on Biblical truth? God
may work in mysterious ways (another often-quoted saying not found in the
Bible), but He will not contradict Himself. If Satan has the audacity to twist
the meaning of Scripture while speaking directly to The Author of Scripture, I
don’t think we’re immune to his word twists either. Whether sayings, bits of
advice, or words of guidance come from a friend, family, community leaders, or
anyone else, we should verify they are based on truth before fully embracing
them.
“Test everything,” Paul implores us (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Otherwise, what we believe in could blow up in our face.
