Foolishness...

I used to approach the Scriptures like they were the help icon on a web page. When I couldn't figure out how to do it myself, I would flip open the Bible and wade through a bunch of information until I found an answer. I don't do that anymore and here's why,

Check out 1 Corinthians 2:14:

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

When I was working in construction a few years ago I quoted this verse to a guy that was asking me about my faith. He was not a believer. In hindsight this was probably not the best verse to quote to a 'man without the Spirit...' The interesting thing, however, was his response. I had quoted all sorts of other verses to him in that conversation and previous conversations, none of which had made much of an impression on him, but this verse was different. He stopped and asked me to repeat it. Something about the straight forward nature of the verse struck him.

I'm not sure whether the guy ever received Christ, or if our conversation had more than a momentary effect on him, but it was very clear in the moment that God was saying something to him. Sometimes God uses the most unlikely verses in the most unlikely circumstances to make a profound impact. I guess that's why I don't go looking for answers in the Scripture any more. If there is one thing I've learned in my short 10 years as a believer it's that no matter what you're reading (that is, as long as you ARE reading...) if God needs to say something to you He'll say it!