It was a beautiful card with blue pastels and adorned with lace surrounding the following Bible quote.
Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.
Luke 4:7 NASB
It read as a very encouraging and inspirational religious quote and indeed, it was. Posted on a social media site, it generated several favorable comments and likes. However, one anonymous post read, “Inspirational Bible Quote. Less inspirational if you know who said it.”
Indeed!
Here is the quotation in its proper context.
And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”
Luke 4:6-8 (NASB)
Read within its proper context, it is clear from the complete quotation that the devil was asking Jesus to bow down and worship him. If Jesus did this, the devil would grant Him dominion over the world’s kingdoms. This is a simple but important example of why one needs to read everything carefully and in context. Nowhere is this more important than when one reads the Bible. For thousands of years, false prophets and even well-intentioned people have either misread or quoted the Bible out of context. If one berry picks Bible verses and quotes them simply because they sound comforting and encouraging, the end result is the same, miscommunication and confusion.
Check the context! The Bible is inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. It is perfect and complete. We are not. We desperately need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit whenever we read and study it.
Amen!
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 