Episode 8 - The Little-Known Fact About Winning God's Approval

Welcome to Episode 8 of Faith Meets Academia. In this episode, Dr. Reynolds explores the critical role of biblical study in meeting God's approval—an often overlooked component in our faith walk—and the parallels it shares with professional certifications like those in healthcare, underscoring the importance of rigorous preparation and continuous learning. This episode will deepen your understanding of scriptural teachings and their practical applications, enhancing both your spiritual and professional journeys.

OUTLINE

1. Introduction and Mother's Day Reflections
2. Highlighting Listener Review
3. Episode Focus: Winning God’s Approval
4. Listener Insights on Divine Approval
5. Scriptural Reference - Deuteronomy 28:1-14
6. Parallels Between Professional and Spiritual Approval/ Certification
7. The Little Known Fact
8. Future Episode Highlights

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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely my own and do not reflect or represent the positions, policies, or opinions of my employer, any organization or academic institution with which I am affiliated. This podcast is a personal initiative, and is not connected to my official/ formal duties and responsibilities as a university professor.

Transcript

Hey fam, welcome to episode eight. Thank you so much for joining me.

I hope you've had a joyful, relaxing weekend. And for those of you who celebrated Mother’s Day weekend, I hope you had a wonderful time honoring and appreciating the special mothers in your lives.

If your mother has transitioned from this life, I do pray that her memories will continue to be a blessing to you. I'd like to share with you a five-star review that came in recently. This is from an educator, actually. Ms. Brown, thank you so much for taking the time to submit such a thoughtful review. And I'm going to tell you what it says. Okay, so here goes: "As an educator, this podcast came at just the right moment. Truly beneficial for me as I continue using my skills beyond the traditional classroom setting. Your words will stay with me. Thank you!"

Well, thank you, Ms. Brown. I'm just delighted that you have found this podcast beneficial and hope it'll continue to be beneficial for you, as you mentioned, even beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Thanks again. And I'm looking forward to bringing you many, many, many more engaging, high-impact, transformative episodes. Keep up the good work—our students need amazing teachers like you. And I'd like to say to you, Ms. Brown, as well as any of the loyal listeners of the FMA community (FMA stands for Faith Meets Academia, just in case you didn't know): Feel free to connect. You can send me a message, a secure message, meaning that your phone number will not be revealed to me. 

At the top of the description, wherever you get your podcasts, whatever platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whether you go straight to the podcast website—right above the description of the episode, you'll see a heading that says, "Send us a text message," right? It says, "Send us a text message." Once you click that, you can send me a message. It'll go directly to me. And you could submit any questions you might have or even topic suggestions for future episodes. I welcome that as well, because we're all partners in this, right? And I want to make sure that each week I'm offering you value and content that you find helpful.

Alright, so let's dive in. I think the title of today's episode is quite intriguing: "The Little Known Fact About Winning God's Approval." The little known fact about winning God's approval. What is that little known fact? Well, stick around a little bit longer, and that shall be revealed.

Last week, I reached out to my social media community, and I asked a very simple question: How do we meet God's approval? Or how do we find favor with God? I received a few responses.

Four responses, actually. And I'll go through that.

The first respondent said, "Be obedient to God, and you will find favor in His sight."

The next response: "We must strive to love and forgive. If we don't love and forgive, we cannot serve or do for God."

Another response: "Openness of heart to be led and taught, as well as the ability to be used, maybe in non-traditional ways in this dispensation."

And then the last response: "Fear Him and keep His commandments."

Thanks to all of you who have submitted a response to this question. I agree with all the responses wholeheartedly, right? This wasn't a trick question. It wasn't a gotcha question. I really wanted to hear your thoughts on this question. And the key theme that I'm hearing is as simple as this: We meet God's approval when we submit to His will, when we do what He has asked us to do. 

Yeah, the blessing is in the doing, right? Revelation 22:14: "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city." The blessing is in the doing. After you've memorized all the Bible verses you can, and after you've listened to the word of God and observed it, or see it in action, after you have understood it enough to apply it effectively—what do you do with it? Remember episode six? Yeah, check out episode six.

Bloom's Taxonomy, right? That's a very useful framework that'll help you transfer these scriptures into your everyday life in a very practical way, right? Let's take a look at Deuteronomy, the 28th chapter, reading from the first verse through the 14th verse. And I'll be reading from the New King James Version. Just for context, these are the words of Moses to the Israelites outlining God's criteria, His expectations or prerequisites, if you will, for a successful, prosperous, abundant life of divine favor.

So, starting at the first verse: "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you will obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways." Let me repeat that: "If you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways, then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today."

You see? Yes, we serve a God who loves us unconditionally, but there are some criteria. There are some conditions that must be met if we are to reap fully His blessings. If you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Verse 14: "So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them."

Now, I think it's also important to realize that, as you may already know, there are consequences for disobeying God's orders, for not walking in His will. And for more on that, you can read from verse 16 to the end, which would be verse 16 through 68 of this same 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. And there are also other scriptures that indicate how we meet God's approval. For example, Micah chapter 6, verse 8. I know of a minister who, whenever she speaks, she would always quote this scripture: Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" That's actually a question.

Then there is Matthew 22:36-40, which describes a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisee, where Jesus basically summarizes the whole essence of the entire Old Testament law into two commandments. He emphasizes that all of the law and the prophets depend on these foundational principles of love. And it reads as follows: Matthew, the 22nd chapter, beginning at the 36th verse through the 40th: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment." As they say, we have to put first things first. "And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." As they say, period. Point blank.

Now, let's talk a little bit about how we gain approval in our professional lives. In our respective professions, there are a number of ways or pathways to being approved, or you might say certified or licensed, right? So, for example, during one of your visits to your healthcare provider's office, you may have noticed a diploma or certificate on the wall that indicates they have been approved or are qualified to practice, whether in medicine, dentistry, or any other area of healthcare. 

For a primary care physician in the United States, for example, the board certification typically states that they're certified by the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Board of Internal Medicine, depending on their specific residency training and focus. These certifications confirm that the physician has met the standards required to specialize in whether they're family medicine or internal medicine, which includes passing rigorous exams.

And I can tell you they're rigorous because I've coached many practicing physicians on best practices, effective evidence-based study strategies that they've used to pass these exams, right? These board certifications in medicine include tough exams, right? And the physician has to fulfill specific educational and, and, and, and, and practice requirements in terms of their residency training, thousands of hours. 

Yes, in the medical field, it could be anywhere from 11,000 hours of training, and this is after completing medical school, for a three-year residency program like pediatrics or family medicine, to over 19,000 hours of training in the case of general surgery, for instance. And even before physicians become board-certified, from medical school through residency training, there is a three-part series of exams that they have to take called the USMLE—Step 1, Step 2, Step 3—United States Medical Licensing Exam. So they have to be licensed through that three-part exam even before they're eligible to be board-certified.

Board certifications, you see, demonstrate the physician's commitment to continuous learning and improvement and to providing high-quality healthcare in their field. Think of examples from your own profession, various approval or licensing or certification processes. In law, they have the bar exam. In nursing, they have the NCLEX, the National Council Licensure Examination, which is the licensing exam for nurses. In K-12 education here in the state of Florida, there is what they call the Professional Educators Certification Exam. I remember many, many years ago taking that exam.

Now, hear this, and I know you know this: In order to pass any exam—well, whether it's a class test, yeah, midterm exam, final exam, licensing exam, board certification exam—you must study. In order to pass any exam or to earn a competitive score on any exam, you must study. Not only that, but you must study effectively and, if I might add, efficiently as well, or you'll be totally burned out.

And I can say this from experience. I've, I've, I've coached many students through overcoming the stress and the pressure and the anxiety of preparing for high-stakes exams. So you may agree, then, that studying is the single most important criterion for passing or scoring competitively on these tests, exams, which would then lead to your becoming certified or approved to practice your craft in your respective professions.

Now, at this point, you might be thinking, what's the parallel between all that I have discussed so far and the practice of my faith, my religion, you know, living my calling? Well, it turns out that studying is not just a key foundational criterion for becoming approved or certified professionally, but studying, I found out, is a fundamental criterion to earn God's approval. Now, let me be clear, as I think you may have noticed throughout the podcast, studying is not the only criterion, but it's a really important one. It is, in my estimation, the little known fact about winning God's approval. And this connection between studying and meeting God's approval is very often overlooked. You want to hear more? Okay, what does the Bible say about this connection?

Let's go over to 2 Timothy 2:15. And just to contextualize this verse, 2 Timothy 2:15 is situated in the context of the apostle Paul's second letter to Timothy, who is a young pastor in Ephesus. And this epistle is part of the broader what are called pastoral epistles, which include 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. And these letters contain advice, guidance, and instructions on how to effectively lead a church and handle various church matters as they arise. So here's what 2 Timothy 2:15 says—are you ready? "Study"—and I'm reading this from the King James Version—"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

In other words, commit yourself to diligent, consistent studying of the word of God or the word of truth. Devote yourself to accurately teaching and interpreting this word of truth, and by so doing, you'll be able to unlock the power of the word of God, which will in turn lead to unmatched boldness and confidence, and so much that you will have no need to be ashamed of it. No need to be ashamed because through this level of dedicated studying, commitment, and diligence, you will have proven yourself to God as a faithful, unwavering, zealous worker in His kingdom. And it is this handling of His word that He approves.

I'm sure you often hear about the desire, one's desire to have a personal relationship with God, right? Well, let me ask you: How do you build a personal relationship with someone without knowing them? Without learning their likes, dislikes? Without understanding what makes them happy, what makes them sad, what makes them upset? How did you build a personal relationship with your spouse? Let's see. Without studying their character? Without understanding these traits? Just as in a relationship, diligently studying God's word helps us to understand His character, His expectations, and His promises. It's through this understanding that we can align our lives with His will and gain His approval. When studying God's word becomes a frequent activity in your weekly routine, you are indicating your love for Him, your thirst for Him, your dependence on Him, and your commitment to Him.

I'd like to make one final point here. That clause in 2 Timothy 2:15 that says, "rightly dividing the word of truth," implies a need for diligent study and accurate understanding of scripture. Diligent, effective study and accurate understanding of scripture ensure that one's interpretation and application of biblical principles are faithful to God's intended message. And now you might be thinking, "Oh, hold on, Doc, you're losing me now. One's interpretation?" So, say more about that.

Let's look at 2 Peter 1:20-21. Verse 20 says, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation." Verse 21: "For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

So first, yes, we have to be consistently prayerful and in tune with the Holy Spirit. And how else can we do that but by prayerfully studying, listening, speaking, reading, and ultimately living, of course, the word of God? Here's why I say that. In the sixth chapter of Saint John, verse 63, Jesus Himself says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." So, yes, we do rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in all aspects of our lives, including studying the word of God, right? But here's one thing that we do know also: Jesus was a very practical kind of guy, right? He used parables, He used real-life examples that people could connect with to make His point, to get His message across.

He was relatable.

Yes, He was the Son of God. But He was also a relatable person.

So, join me for the next episode, where I will introduce to you some key, practical, research-based learning and study strategies that you can use, your kids could use, your whole congregation could use to study, not just the word of God, but I mean virtually anything. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of crazy, right? And many of these strategies, I can assure you, you probably have never heard of before.

And that's so unfortunate because you've paid thousands—and for many of you, hundreds of thousands—of dollars over the course of your lifetime to earn that college degree, that graduate degree. And you've never really been taught how to study. You've been told to study, you know, whether by your school teacher, your college professor, or maybe even your spiritual leaders. But how many of you have had the experience of participating in a workshop or even a one-hour presentation on how to use research-based study strategies to master whatever content it is that you're trying to learn?

Not many.

I know that because this is a question that I ask quite frequently. Well, to be continued next week.

Have a blessed, prosperous week, family. I leave you with Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace."

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