I will never forget penmanship class in the fifth grade. There were those perfectly formed letters of the alphabet over the blackboard, and there were those just written in my notebook. Being left-handed, the two didn&8217;t look the same, which my teacher seemed to constantly point out to me. I&8217;m sure, if she were here today, she would still be critical of my penmanship, as it hasn&8217;t improved through the years. Thank goodness for computers and all the fonts they offer instead.

In Greek society, learning to write the letters of the alphabet was important as well. The writing master would draw the letters in soft wax, and beneath these, the student had to make a copy. The line the master wrote was the &8220;pattern&8221; which the student had to follow. Sometimes, the writing master would take the student&8217;s hand, guiding it along the letters to help emphasize the pattern and keep one from making mistakes.

Today, God offers us a pattern in the pages of scripture. Jesus speaks of this principle when he taught the parable of the sower, or the seed in Luke 8. A sower, or farmer, planted seed by scattering it about.

Not only would the seed fall into good soil, soil broken up and prepared for the seed, but other types of soil as well, such as rocky soil, soil with thorns and soil heavily walked on and hardened.

It was the same seed, but the difference in how well it grew was the type of soil in which it fell.

It is too easy for some today to dismiss what scripture says by saying, &8220;Well, that is just your opinion&8221; or &8220;But this is how I feel.&8221; The student mentioned earlier would never know how to correctly make those letters of the Greek alphabet without the teacher making a pattern to follow.

Feelings come and go, but God&8217;s word abides forever (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:23-25).

The truth it revealed in the first century is the same truth it reveals to us today. It is our pattern for how to be saved, how to worship God acceptably, how to live the Christian life. The question is whether we will listen to what it says and humble ourselves in faith to conform to its standard. The Hebrew writer reminds us about Jesus, &8220;Having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation&8221; (Hebrews 5:9). He tells us what to do in his word.

Will you listen