How is Life like an Open Book Test?

 

How is Life like an Open Book Test?

I spoke to a friend yesterday who shared an insight that has been echoing in my spirit.  

We were talking about the role of the Bible in our daily lives.  More specifically, we were discussing the impact of Biblical truth on our specific decisions. 

He then injected the observation, "Life is not like an open book test because challenges and decisions come too quickly for us to stop and look up the answer every time."

His observation immediately brought some questions to my mind:

• When is the last time that I took a test?  
• How did I face the challenge of completing the test and getting the right answers?
• If the test was an "open book test" then how much time could I take to actually look up the answers?

Life is like a test.  We face problems every day that require an immediate response.  We base our responses on our experiences and knowledge.  Sometimes, we ask for help from another person or a source of information if we do not have the answer.

If we look to God and his wisdom in the Bible, then we can receive insights into how to respond to the challenges in our lives and we can receive his help to enact the best response to a problem.

The challenge, however, is that we cannot always open up our Bibles in the moment.  In some instances, we may have the time to turn to God's Word and look up the wisdom we need at that specific moment.  In most cases, however, we do not have the opportunity to sit down, open up a Bible, locate a relevant passage and then apply it to our situation.

Life is like an open book test.  We have the resource to find wisdom for our challenges.  If we had an infinite amount of time, then we could locate the necessary wisdom and insights in the Bible.  The reality, however, is that we need to know the content and how it can be applied before we get to the specific challenge or problem.  

We need to know the Bible and how to apply God's wisdom.  

We need to know the God of the Bible and ask for his tutoring help in our lives.

 

This doesn't occur by engaging the Bible only on Sunday mornings or every once and awhile.  On the contrary, we will come to know the Bible through regular, disciplined reading and study.  Furthermore, we will cement our learning and connect our thoughts to our actions through sharing our God-given insights with others and putting them into action in our daily lives.  

Life is like an open book test.  

The book is available but do you know the content and how to apply it?

The tutor is available but do you know him and ask for his help?

Psalm 119:11 - "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

Paraphrase - "I have studied, learned and applied your word so that I know it before going into life's (open book) tests so that I may respond wisely in an obedient way that pleases you."