September 3, 2026

Hey guys, 

This week’s Thought comes from 2 Timothy 3:17. There, Paul says, “God uses it to prepare and equip us for every good work.” 

Well, the obvious question is, what is it that Paul is referring to here? If you look back at verse 16, Paul tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and divinely inspired. It is useful for correcting, teaching and showing us what is right and wrong. So, in verse 17, he is saying, God uses Scripture to prepare and equip us for every good work. 

I started thinking about those two words: prepare and equip. They are very proactive words, aren’t they? If I'm coaching, I'm not going to send my team out on the court or on the field and then try to coach them through the game without any kind of preparation. The same is true if I take a group overseas. I'm not going to say, "Hey, I'll see you at the airport!”Then, when we get on foreign soil, say, "Hey, listen, you might run into this, or you might encounter this. I hope you do okay." No, we want to prepare and equip them to be as successful as they can be because they're “about our Father's business” (Luke 2:49).

So, I started thinking about the good work that comes as a result of us being prepared and equipped. I don't have to be on foreign soil for that to be true. I don't have to be coaching for that to be true. I could be down the street at the store. I could be in a Sunday school class at church with a friend who's hurting. I couldn’t help but begin to think about those ministry moments. If I don't have love, patience, sympathy, if I don't see people the way God sees them, I'm not going to be very effective in my ministry. 

So, if I need those things to effectively impact people's lives, to point them to Jesus, what do I need? I need to be in the Scripture that prepares me and equips me for every good work. 

Love you guys,

John