GROWING SEEDS: "Did the Bible REALLY Say That?"

Over the past few months and yes, even years, I have lost count of the number of times I have been told by well-meaning friends,

"Don't worry, Liz.....the Bible says God doesn't give us more than we can handle." 

Hum.  By saying that, it implies that God gave me the hardship in the first place.  Last I checked, God was a God of love....not a God of adversity and pain.  I know full well the struggles in my life are caused by my enemy...the one who desperately wants to shut me up and knock me down in hopes I won't get back up.  What the Bible actually says with regards to this subject is, "And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Awww...see the difference?  Go ahead; read it again. 

This got me thinking about what else have we incorrectly given the Bible credit for.  Here's a few examples I thought you might find interesting:

* "Eve was tempted by Satan with an apple" (Deliciousness 1:1)."  Really?  Are you sure?  Genesis 3:6 simply states "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."  That could have been an orange, or a coconut or maybe even a pomegranate!  Says nothing about it being an apple, although, if I were Eve, I probably would have preferred an apple.

* "God works in mysterious ways" (Factualfiction 39:12).  Nope.....not Biblical.  Although this is a true statement and He's constantly working in crazy mysterious ways in all of our lives, you won't find those exact words written in the pages of your Bible.

* "God helps those who help themselves" (1 Americanians 17:76).   Ouch.  This one should be deleted from your sentence vocabulary bank.  Romans 5:6 actually tells us just the opposite:  "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."   Or maybe check out Psalms 121:2, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth."  I don't remember God telling Moses to have the people build a boat as they stared down the Red Sea....just sayin'.

I realize the importance of whether Eve was tempted with an apple or an apricot is of little importance, but what is important is that we know what God's Word actually says.  That we don't blindly believe everything we're told by others....and that we READ THE BOOK and find out for ourselves.  It's a a super cool story that you just might find yourself a part of.