Sitting up late nights to work on algebra and geometry problems is not something I thought I’d ever be doing again—using knowledge and reasoning from the past that I presumed I would never need. And, for 20+ years, I didn’t need to know or use most of those rules and formulas until I was blessed to be asked by a young girl to “help with homework.” Now, I’m thankful for all those algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus classes I had all those years ago. Without those classes and that knowledge, I would be just about useless now.
This is not an article about me but about an application that we can make of this same concept. I had not considered (back then) that learning those things in the past would be so helpful in the future. Now, put that into mind as you read these words from 1 Peter 3:15 — “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
Are there Bible facts and Bible truths that you learned in the past (or are learning now) that you may have thought at the time, “I will never use this; I don’t need to know this”—only later (months, years or decades later) to be asked a question about that very matter? Have you ever said to yourself, “Oh, I wish I had paid better attention! I wish I had written that down! That would be really helpful to know right now”?
You may think that you’ll never need to know or will never use some piece of Biblical knowledge (about the days of creation, the existence of God, the deity of Jesus, the Law of Moses, the journeys of Paul, the second coming, et al.). However, the reality is that you never know what you’ll need to know, when you’ll need to know it and why you’ll need to know it. That’s why God said, “always be ready”!
Obviously, no one human being can know everything there is to know in and about the Bible! Scripture is a bottomless depth of riches and knowledge beyond any human’s capacity to remember (it is the Word of GOD, after all). However, there are some things that we can do to prepare ourselves to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks” for a reason: read the Bible every day (not just “reading” but “studying”); read sound Bible study materials; keep a notebook (or more than one) of your own notes, categorized and indexed for easy entry and finding of information; attend Bible classes; pay attention in classes and during sermons; take notes; write in the margins of your Bible; listen/watch lessons online; take notes; cross-reference passages; take more notes.
You do not know what you will need to know and when you’ll need to know it. Learn all you can to be ready!