July 13 — "Bereans: Open Hearts, Open Bibles"

Today's Reading: Acts 17:1-15

They didn’t argue. They didn’t scoff. They didn’t cancel Paul. They opened their Bibles.

When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they carried the same message that had stirred riots in Thessalonica: that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, crucified, risen, and exalted. To many, this sounded wild—almost offensive. But the Bereans didn’t reject it outright. Instead, they responded with a noble and honorable kind of faith—eager listeners and careful investigators.

Can you picture it? After hearing Paul preach in the synagogue, they gathered scrolls, pulled out the Scriptures, and dug in. Not once. Daily. With hearts wide open and minds fully engaged.

Maybe Paul had just said, “The Messiah had to suffer and rise again.” That might’ve startled them. But one said, “Wait— look here at Isaiah 53. ‘He was pierced for our transgressions…’” Another chimed in, “And Psalm 22! ‘They have pierced my hands and my feet.’” And suddenly, the pieces started coming together.

Then Paul declared, “This Jesus fulfilled the promise to David—He is the King whose kingdom will never end!” Someone turned to 2 Samuel 7, then Isaiah 9 of the Jewish scrolls—and nodded slowly. “Everlasting kingdom… yes, it’s right here.”

Paul went further: “God raised Him from the dead.” Again, the startled Bereans leaned into the Word. “Daniel 12:2,” someone said. “Psalm 16:10—‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’” Confirmation after confirmation unfolded like sunrise over the hills. The truth about Jesus of Nazareth was right there all along!

Their faith wasn’t blind—it was Biblically grounded. Today, we’re surrounded by opinions, podcasts, and preachers. But let’s be Bereans. Don’t swallow every spiritual soundbite—search the Scriptures. Be eager to hear, but even more eager to verify.  Don’t be gullible, accepting every word you hear. But don’t be dismissive either, rejecting truth without verifying and validating. Truth endures. And those who seek it? They find.

May the Lord grant you the heart of a Berean—neither dismissive nor gullible, but eager to listen, bold to test, and grounded in truth. May your faith be rich, not because it’s loud, but because it’s rooted in the Word that never fails.