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Got Questions?


People we trusted have lied to us. Whether it’s the media, the government, our religious leaders or even family and friends... Someone we trusted has let us down.


Sadly, that goes with being human. And none of us are immune.


But what can we do? Once we realize that there is literally no one we can wholeheartedly, blindly trust, do we just give up and "come what may?" Do we lash out in anger and, if so, will that solve our problems? Or do we roll up our sleeves and search for answers on our own?


If you're like me, the answer is irrefutable: We don't give up and we don't give in. We try. And we do our best, recognizing that it will be imperfect, but that the results will be far superior to anything else on offer.


Finding a Solution

As we search for answers, I believe there is only one thing in this world that we can trust. Only one thing that we should trust. And no, it’s not me!


Yep. You guessed it. It’s the Bible.


Now don't stop reading!


I'm not here to tell you to just "Give it up and give it to God." And, if you don't know God or trust the Bible, that's OK too. (Just skip to the end of this article for resources to help you decide whether the rest is worth reading.)


But for those who do believe that God is real and that the Bible is trustworthy, I’ve got some good news - we can use the Bible to seek, and find, the Truth for ourselves.


Let's get practical: The purpose of this article is to show you

how you can use the Bible to find answers on your own.


So let’s find out what God has to say to you!


Let's start with a problem many of us have wondered how to solve: How to get along with an impossible person.


What I'm going to show you is how to “ask” the Bible that question. And no, we aren't going to rely on experts, and what they think the Bible says or means. We are going to go directly to the source and ask the Bible itself!


  1. Open (the) Bible


In this example, we might start with the key word search “getting along with impossible people.” The Open Bible search engine will return specific verses that are related to those key words.  Read over the verses that are suggested. Do any of them resonate with you? Jot them down for the next step. 


For me, Ephesians 4:2-3 felt like the most direct response for what I’m wondering when I ask this question. 











  1. Hit The (Bible) Hub


In the top navigation bar, select the book, chapter and then verse. In this case, Ephesians 4:2. Then click on "INT" (on a MAC or PC, it will show as "Interlin"). This lets you see each English word and the corresponding Greek word that was in the original letter.

As a reminder, we’re trying to figure out what Ephesians means when it’s telling us to “love” others. And we need to understand that before we can decide if this passage has an answer for “getting along with impossible people.”





If you scroll to the bottom of the Bible Hub page, you will see the word “love.” Above that, we see the author used the Greek word "agape" (pronounced agapē) : 


OK... so what does THAT mean? Are we talking chiropractor kind of love; because I need to "be kind to the people who do things I really want, like, or need"? Or is it sisterly kind of love, because I should "consider everyone as family"?


To find out what agape means, touch/click on the number 26 above its Greek pronunciation.




On the new page that launches, you will see a basic definition of agape.


But in order to really understand how a Greek-speaking person meant "agape," you're going to have to dig a little deeper. Scroll down and find the HELPS Word-studies section.


Here, we read that agape is not just love, but the kind of love that "centers in moral preference." Huh? What is that?!


Good news, we can scroll down to the bottom of the webpage and find a link to every occurance where agape is used in the Bible - all 116 of them!


Click on that link and, eventually, even if you just skim over those other passages, you will see that agape (or having a moral preference for others) means the kind of love that puts others’ interests before my own. It's a sacrificial kind of love. Perfect love. The kind of love that God has. In fact, in one of the occurrences, we learn that G-d is agape.  


  1. What does it mean to YOU?

Using this new understanding for what agape means in Scripture, I tried to see my "impossible" person the way that God does. What used to seem annoying about him became a curiosity: What might that person see (or know) that I don't? And when I tried to imagine loving him like God does, I began to think maybe he isn’t actually impossible. Sigh... Maybe I am the problem - because I’m insisting on seeing things my own way?!


You get the idea: When I dug a littler deeper, Ephesians 4:2 proved quite helpful for getting along with the impossible person in my life.


But perhaps you don't agree.


Pro Tips

Maybe you looked at all the words in Ephesians 4:2-3 and, at the end of it, still don’t feel it helped you with your dilemma. No problem! Set Ephesians 4:2-3 aside and go back to Step 1 (Open Bible) to see if there is a different Scripture passage that better addresses your situation. Once you find a new passage, go to Step 1 and use the interlinear translation of Bible Hub to dig into that verse.


If you’re still not finding a passage in Open Bible that is useful, tweak the keywords you’re searching on. In this case, if “getting along with impossible people” isn’t yielding good results, rephrase your issue. Perhaps “dealing with selfish people” or “forgiving someone who hurt me” would better describe your context.


Keep at it and you will get better at phrasing your Open Bible topic searches. In no time, you will feel (and actually be) confident about your ability to uncover God’s answers for the things you struggle with here on earth. And most importantly, you will be getting answers directly from the Bible itself - Not some well-meaning person like me, who doesn't (and can't) completely understand your perspective or the problems you're facing.


So, what questions are bugging you?

Let’s get into the Bible and find some answers!!



Resources:

The articles below offer a few places to start with answering the question “Is the Bible trustworthy and accurate?” And while I encourage you to read them, I’ll offer a personal suggestion as well: Ask God. Ask Him to show you He is real. Ask Him to do it in a way that is so unmistakably specific, that you will know it’s Him. Then, be prepared for the unexpected! (He doesn’t always answer us in the ways we anticipate.)

Please know, God is not like a genie in the bottle. We don’t get to make wishes and then wait for them to be granted. But God is faithful. Seek Him. He wants you to find Him. It’s my prayer for you, and my confident belief, that if you honestly and earnestly seek Him, He will be found.


Photo by Kyle Broad on Unsplash


 
 
 

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