Sharing Hope

<p>As Emma shared how God helped her embrace her identity as His beloved child, she weaved Scripture into our conversation. I could barely figure out where the high school student stopped speaking <em>her</em> words and began quoting the words of <em>God</em>. When I commended her for being like a walking Bible, her brow furrowed. She hadn&rsquo;t been intentionally reciting Scripture verses. Through daily reading of the Bible, the wisdom found in it had become a part of Emma&rsquo;s everyday vocabulary. She rejoiced in God&rsquo;s constant presence and enjoyed every opportunity He provided to share His truth with others. But Emma isn&rsquo;t the first young person God has used to inspire others to prayerfully read, memorize, and apply Scripture.</p> <p>When the apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to step into leadership, he demonstrated confidence in this young man (1 Timothy 4:11&ndash;16). Paul acknowledged that Timothy was rooted in Scripture from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15). Like Paul, Timothy faced doubters. Still, both men lived as if they believed all Scripture was &ldquo;God-breathed.&rdquo; They recognized Scripture was &ldquo;useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work&rdquo; (2 Timothy 3:16).</p> <p>When we hide God&rsquo;s wisdom in our hearts, His truth and love can pour into our conversations naturally. We can be like walking Bibles sharing God&rsquo;s eternal hope wherever we go.</p>