Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” Matthew 22:29 (NLT)
The furnace was acting up. A metallic rattle made us jump every time the furnace kicked in. And it didn’t seem to push warmed air into the house, which is pretty much the only function of a furnace. Before long, a heating and air-conditioning truck sat in our driveway and a repairman stood in our basement, removing parts, inspecting, and tromping upstairs to the family room to offer his diagnosis.
“Your furnace will never work right like that. Not efficient. Not getting enough air. There’s your problem.” The people to whom Jesus ministered were often confused about why things weren’t working out well in their lives, their relationships, their faith. They asked Him what must have seemed ridiculously tangled questions, like to whom a woman belonged in heaven if she was married and widowed seven times, outliving those seven brothers. Sounds like a soap opera plot.
RELATED: START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
In Matthew 22:29 Jesus quickly diagnosed the heart of the issue: “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” How easily and quickly Jesus got to the heart of the problem. “You wouldn’t be confused, you wouldn’t be asking these irrelevant questions, if you really knew God’s Word and understood God’s power and His purpose.”
The next time I’m rattling around, making too much noise, operating inefficiently or not at all, I think I’ll call in the Expert. I already know what He’ll say. “Here’s your problem, right here, lady.”
Faith Step: What are you doing to keep your spiritual life well maintained? And what ridiculously tangled questions have you asked that fall away in light of knowing God’s Word and His power? Write down the first thing(s) that came to mind. Stick that slip of paper in the spot in your Bible where you find God makes the answer clear.
