Wuest paraphrases it as "Bend your every effort".

Be diligent (4704) (spoudazo from spoude = earnestness, diligence) conveys the idea hastening to do something with the implication of associated energy or with intense effort and motivation. It suggest zealous concentration and diligent effort. Spoudazo speaks of intensity of purpose followed by intensity of effort toward the realization of that purpose.

The supreme purpose of the diligent and selfless teacher is to please God.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?” Paul asked Galatian believers. “Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ (Galatians 1:10)

Every Christian teacher and preacher should be able to say,

Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts (see notes 1Thessalonians 2:4).

His greatest desire is to hear his Master say,

Well done, good and faithful servant (Mt 25:21).

The most beneficial study of God’s Word requires diligence and perseverance, but the results are worth the effort. A. B. Simpson said...

God has hidden every precious thing in such a way that it is a reward to the diligent, a prize to the earnest, but a disappointment to the slothful soul. All nature is arrayed against the lounger and the idler. The nut is hidden in its thorny case; the pearl is buried beneath the ocean waves; the gold is imprisoned in the rocky bosom of the mountains; the gem is found only after you crush the rock which encloses it; the very soil gives its harvest as a reward to the laboring farmer. So truth and God must be earnestly sought.

Steven Cole what the key is for a saint to be diligent to rightly divide the Word...

So many Christians are haphazard and lazy rather than diligent in their approach to God’s Word. They don’t systematically read, study, or memorize it. If they read it at all, they jump from passage to passage, pulling verses out of context. They aren’t seeking to know God and how He wants them to think, to believe, and to relate to others. Their lives and relationships are falling apart, but they don’t search diligently to discover what God’s Word tells them
to do about these problems.

The key to being diligent in God’s Word is to be motivated. Motivation is the key to learning. Have you ever been on an airplane and watched the passengers as the stewardess gives the instructions on how to use the emergency breathing apparatus? They’re reading their newspapers or impatiently thinking, “Hurry up so we can get going!” They’re not motivated to hear her boring instructions. But suppose they’re airborne and the pilot comes on the intercom and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re experiencing some severe trouble with our engines. We’re going to have to depressurize the cabin and make an emergency landing. The stewardess is going to explain how to use the emergency breathing apparatus.” Do you think he would have to add, “Please give her your full attention”? People would be motivated!

So the key to being motivated to be diligent in God’s Word is to recognize, “I live in the presence of God! Someday soon I will give an account to Him. His Word alone contains His wisdom on how to live in a way that pleases Him, which is the only way to true happiness for me. So I’ve got to be diligent to search out what the Scriptures say about knowing God and His wisdom for living.” (See full message 2 Timothy 2:14-19 Using the Word Properly)

PRESENT YOURSELF: parastesai (AAN):

Present (3936) (paristemi from pará = near + hístemi = place, stand) literally means to stand beside or near, to present and includes idea of yielding, to place at the disposal of another and so to lay oneself out for the use of another. In the Septuagint (LXX) paristemi was used as a technical term for priest’s placing offering on altar. This word conveys the general idea of surrendering or yielding up. Josephus (Ant., 4, 113) writes

"He then slew the sacrifices, and offered (paristemi) them as burnt offerings, that he might observe some signal of the flight of the Hebrews."

The aorist tense here indicates a decisive, wholehearted act, yet in this case it is one requiring the diligence of repetition.

Paristemi - 40v in NT (study the uses especially in Romans) - Matt. 26:53; Mk. 4:29; 14:47, 69, 70; 15:35, 39; Lk. 1:19; 2:22; 19:24; Jn. 18:22; 19:26; Acts 1:3, 10; 4:10, 26; 9:39, 41; 23:2, 4, 24, 33; 24:13; 27:23f; Rom. 6:13, 16, 19; 12:1; 14:10; 16:2; 1 Co. 8:8; 2 Co. 4:14; 11:2; Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22, 28; 2 Tim. 2:15; 4:17, 22. NAS renders paristemi as - bystanders(5), come(1), commend(1), help(1), present(11), presented(4), presenting(1),prove(1), provide(1), put at My disposal(1), stand before(2), standing(2), standing beside(1), standing nearby(1), stands(1),stands here(1), stood(2), stood before(1), stood beside(2), took their stand(1).

It is a standing alongside of or before God, of presenting oneself for inspection, as it were, in order to be approved by Him.

The verb paristemi is used in a similar manner by Paul in his letter to the Romans where he writes

"why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before (paristemi) the judgment seat of God." (Ro 14:10-note)

Note that this judgment has to do with a believer’s service, not his sins (1Co 3:11, 12, 13, 14, 15). It is a time of review and reward, and is not to be confused with the Judgment of the Gentile nations (Mt 25:31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46) or the Judgment of the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11, 12, 13, 14, 15-notes). The latter is the final judgment of all the wicked dead.

Be diligent that you might receive your degree...

A.U.G.
Approved
Unto
God

Steven Cole points out that...

Present is used (2 Cor 11:2; Ep 5:27 [note]) to speak of a bride being presented to her bridegroom. It’s a very personal, loving act when a young woman gives herself to a young man in marriage. In that culture (pre-women’s lib) it meant that she was giving herself completely to him: her devotion, her time, her body, her complete focus was now toward her husband because of his love for her and her love for him. That’s how we should come to the Bible. It’s not just a book of principles for how to live. It tells us of Christ’s enduring love for His bride. As His bride, we should seek to please Him and be available to do His will. As such, our focus should not be on what others think of us, but on what God thinks. Too many pastors fall into the trap of pleasing people, rather than pleasing God. While it’s nice to be liked, my main focus is to be, “approved to God.” Our goal is to please our heavenly Bridegroom who loved us and gave Himself for us.

When Jim Elliot, who was later martyred in the jungles of Ecuador, was a student at Wheaton College, he wrote in his diary, “My grades came through this week, and were, as expected, lower than last semester. However, I make no apologies, and admit I’ve let them drag a bit for study of the Bible, in which I seek the degree A.U.G., ‘approved unto God’” (Shadow of the Almighty [Zondervan], p. 43).

Come to the Bible to deepen your love life with the Lord, to learn how you can please Him more. (See full message 2 Timothy 2:14-19 Using the Word Properly)

APPROVED TO GOD : dokimon parastesai (AAN) to theo: (Acts 2:22; Ro 14:18; 16:10; 2Co 5:9; 10:18; Gal 1:10; 1 Th 2:4)

Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2Co 5:9)

The Steps of Those Whom He Approves
Wait on the Lord and keep His way,
And then, by Him approved,
Thy heritage shall still remain
When sinners are removed.
(Play hymn)

Approved (1384) (dokimos from dokime = test, proof, trial = idea is that when you put metal through a fiery testing and it comes out on the other side enduring it  "proven", "authentic" or "genuine" Click discussion of related word dokimazo and the antonym = adokimos) describes one who has stood the test.

Vine writes that dokimos signifies...

that which is approved by being proved, that which stands the test  (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Wuest adds this description that dokimos means to...

put to the test for the purpose of being approved, and having met specifications, having the stamp of approval placed upon one. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

A dokimos man or dokimos character is like metal which has been cleansed of all alloy and impurity. In James 1:12 (see below) the weaknesses of such a one have been eradicated and he emerges strong and pure. That which is dokimos is shown to be trustworthy and genuine.

Approved describes anything tested and fit for service. As alluded to above, this term was used of gold and silver which has been purified by fire of all alloy.

Dokimos is the word describing money which is genuine or as we would say sterling (silver) [sterling = conforming to the highest standard]. In other words, a persons must first be "proved" before being "approved". One so approved is assayed by the One Who has eyes like flames of fire (see note Revelation 1:14) yet passes this scrutiny and is counted as worthy.

Dokimos is a word which motivates one to have a "God consciousness" (cp "Coram Deo" - before the face of God!), a consciousness of His presence and of living and acting in His sight, so as to please Him in all things. (e.g., see the use by James below)

Sometimes it is helpful to get a sense of the meaning of a word by observing uses of its antonym and here Isaiah 1:22 presents us with a clear picture, where God is speaking to faithless Israel declaring...

Your silver has become dross (Hebrew = siyg = literally  that which is turned away or skimmed off in the refining process, the waste or impurity, the refuse after smelting precious metal and figuratively that which is base or worthless), Your drink diluted with water. (Comment: The Septuagint -LXX translates siyg with the Greek word adokimos)

Richards writes that dokimos

is used in the NT in the sense of recognition, of being officially approved and accepted.

Barclay writes that...

The Greek for one who has stood the test is dokimos, which describes anything which has been tested and is fit for service. For instance, it describes gold or silver which has been purified of all alloy in the fire. It is therefore the word for money which is genuine, or, as we would say, sterling. It is the word used for a stone which is fit to be fitted into its place in a building. A stone with a flaw in it was marked with a capital A, standing for adokimastos, which means tested and found wanting. Timothy was to be tested that he might be a fit weapon for the work of Christ, and therefore a workman who had no need to be ashamed. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

The root dek-, dechomai, accept, gives two verbal derivatives dokeo and dokao. The former means (intrans.) to appear, have the appearance, (trans.) to think, believe, consider right; the latter means expect. Derivatives of the former are: (a) dokimos, trustworthy, reliable, tested, recognized, used as a technical term for genuine, current coinage, but also applied to persons enjoying general esteem; (b) adokimos, untested, not respected; (c) indirectly also dokimion, test, probation; (d) from dokimos are also derived dokimazo, test, pronounce good, establish by trial, recognize, and apodokimazo, disapprove of, reject, blame; dokimasis and dokimasia, investigation, testing (preparatory to installing in an office); dokime, approved character, trial.  (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) 

Dokimos is used 7 times in the NT...

Romans 14:18 (note) For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. (John MacArthur comments: Dokimos (approved) refers to acceptance after careful examination, as when a jeweler carefully inspects a gem under a magnifying glass to determine its genuineness and value. When we serve Christ selflessly, we prove ourselves “to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (see note Philippians 2:15). (MacArthur, J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

Romans 16:10 (note) Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. (Comment: O, that the "tribe" of Apelles might increase for whatever it was he did in the way of ministry and service, it was done in the sphere of [sufficiency of, power of, grace of] Christ, allowing Christ to live out His supernatural life through him. Apelles understood the vital principle Jesus taught in John 15:5 that "if you abide in Me and I abide in you shall bear much fruit for apart from Me you can do absolutely nothing that will pass the test." The "works" of Apelles will be tried by fire in 1 Corinthians 3:13-14 and even as pure gold will be found to pass the test of purity in the eyes of the Refiner. May God be pleased to raise up many Apelles in the modern church in America. Amen.)

1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you.

2 Corinthians 10:18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 13:7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we should appear unapproved.

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

James 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial (the test is not designed to destroy us but to display the genuineness of our faith); for once he has been approved (dokimos - in the context he has passed the test and his faith is intact), he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (Comment: The principle is simple and clear that perseverance brings God’s approval, and His approval brings the crown of life)

There are 6 uses of dokimos in the Septuagint (LXX) (Gen 23:16; 1 Ki 10:18; 1 Chr 28:18; 29:4; 2 Chr 9:17; Zech 11:13) and here are some representative uses...

Genesis 23:16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard (Lxx = "approved [dokimos] with merchants".

1 Kings 10:18 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined (Hebrew = pazaz = refined; Lxx = dokimos) gold.

1 Chronicles 29:4 namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined (Hebrew = zaqaq = purified, refined, purged; Lxx = dokimos) silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings;

2 Chronicles 9:17 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure (Hebrew = tahor = pure, clean, genuine - used ninety times in the Old Testament, primarily to distinguish things that were culturally pure, capable of being used in, or taking part in the religious rituals of Israel;  Lxx = dokimos) gold.

Donald Barnhouse has the following interesting explanation of dokimos writing that

In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honour who put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called "dokimos" or "approved"

AS A WORKMAN: ergaten: (Mt 13:52; 2Cor 3:6; 6:3,4; 1Ti 4:6,12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

This was Paul's warp and woof, to be God's man, God's workman who expressed his earnest expectation and hope this way...

that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Php 1:20-see note) (And we should each seek to be imitators of Paul, just as he was of Christ)

Workman (2040) (ergates from ergazomai = meaning to engage in an activity involving considerable expenditure of effort. It is the root of English words like ergs, ergonomics, etc) literally describes a worker (workman) or laborer, someone who is engaged in labor. There are also a number of metaphorical uses in the NT (as here in 2Ti 2:15) describing one who is engaged in the work of some spiritual activity, whether good or bad (study the uses below, noting the repeated association that the ergates is "worthy of his wages" - beloved the hard working farmer should be the first to receive his share of the "wages" even now [2Ti 2:6-note] and yet even better he is storing up wages in the "bank of heaven" (cp 1Ti 4:8-note, Mt 6:20-note, cp Mt 19:21, 1Ti 6:17, 18, 19, He 10:34-note, He 11:26-note; 1Pe 1:4-note). Are you working for this life or the life to come? Do not lose heart as you labor [Gal 6:9, 10], striving according to His power which mightily works within you [Col 1:28-note, Col 1:29-note; He 13:20, 21-note], for your "payday" awaits eternity and the bema seat [word study] seat of Christ [2Cor 5:10, 1Co 3:11, 12, 13, 14, 15], the Lord of the harvest. Redeem the work days you have [Ep 5:16-note, Ro 13:11-note, Ro 13:12-note] for the days are evil and our life is but a vapor - cp Ps 90:12-note, Jas 1:10, 11-note, Jas 4:14, Ps 102:3-note, Ps 102:11-note, Ps 103:15, 16-note, Ps 144:4-note,  Isa 40:6, 7, 1Pe1:24, 25-note, Job 7:6)

Only one life
Twill soon pass
Only what's done for (in) Christ will last

So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.
-- Moses - Ps 90:12-note

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset,
two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes.
No reward offered, for they are gone for ever.

Redeem the time! God only knows
How soon our little life may close,
With all its pleasures and its woes,
Redeem the time!        
 — Anonymous

God set a goal, yet gave the choice
To mortals how time may be spent,
Admonishing that worth, not length,
Values time's accomplishment.
                            — Mortenson

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
(Julius Caesar, 4.3.217)

Whatever your hand finds to do,
verily, do it with all your might;
for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol
where you are going. (Eccl 9:10)

Life is too short for us to do everything we want to do; but it is long enough for us to do everything God wants us to do. - Anon.

Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death should surprise you in the act. - Richard Baxter

Time should not be spent, it should be invested in the kingdom of God. -John Blanchard

Time is not yours to dispose of as you please; it is a glorious talent that men must be accountable for as well as any other talent. - Thomas Brooks

There is nothing puts a more serious frame into a man's spirit than to know the worth of his time. -Thomas Brooks

We are to redeem the time because we ourselves are redeemed.-Richard Chester

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life to save. -Will Rogers

Too busy for all that is holy on earth beneath the sky,
Too busy to serve the Master, but—not too busy to die!—Anon.

ETERNITY will be appreciated only in the measure that we have rightly handled TIME!-F. King

Ergates in the ancient world was used especially of one who works the soil. Xenophon uses ergates to describe one who practices an art.

Ergates is used 15 times in the NT (no uses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint) and is rendered in the NAS as  laborer(2), laborers(6), worker(1), workers(4), workman(1), workmen(1).

Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

Matthew 10:10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.

Matthew 20:1  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Matthew 20:2 "And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Matthew 20:8 "And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.'

Luke 10:2 And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Luke 10:7 "And stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.

Luke 13:27 and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers (literally "doers of unrighteousness" = ergates adikia).'

Acts 19:25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business.

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

Philippians 3:2-note  Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

James 5:4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

The Word of Truth is the workman’s tool for building, measuring, and repairing God’s people. Carriers of the truth of God are to represent that truth and the God of truth well enough that we need never apologize for ourselves. God wants His people to be well prepared in the interpretation of God's truth. The messenger who interprets God's truth for others is an agent of His revelation.

It is clear from both the OT and NT, as well as from church history and our own time, that many of the worst false teachers claim to be servants of God. The majority of scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day considered themselves to be the godliest of the godly, as well as the only reliable interpreters of Scripture.

Wuest writes that

A workman approved is a workman who has been put to the test, and meeting the specifications, has won the approval of the one who has subjected him to the test. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

Steven Cole illustrates the approval every workman should strive for...

A young man once studied violin under a world-renowned master. When his first big recital came, the crowd cheered after each number, but the young performer seemed dissatisfied. Even after the final number, despite the applause, the musician seemed unhappy. As he took his bows, he was watching an elderly man in the balcony. Finally, the elderly one smiled and nodded in approval. Immediately, the young man beamed with joy. He was not looking for the approval of the crowd. He was waiting for the approval of his master. Christians should be living for God’s approval. We will be approved unto Him as we use the Bible to grow in godliness. Are you growing as a craftsman who uses God’s Word of truth accurately and skillfully to grow in godliness? The misuse of the Bible will lead you to ruin. The proper use will lead you to godliness. (2 Timothy 2:14-19 Using the Word Properly)

WHO DOES NOT NEED TO BE ASHAMED : anepaischunton:

Not...ashamed (422) (anepaischuntos from a = without + epaischúnomai = be ashamed) describes the absence of a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety.

The diligent workman who handles the Word rightly is irreprehensible (blameless)

Diligence in handling the Word now prevents one from one day having to stand before God and experience the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of having done something dishonorable with the Word of Truth. Let us always seek to Be Bereans - Acts 17:11.

I want among the victor throng
Someday to have my name confessed;
And hear my Master say at last,
"You stand approved, you did your best!"
—Simpson

The diligent workman has no cause for shame and is not liable to be put to shame when his work is inspected.

Application: Could I challenge you to consider measuring all your thoughts, words and deeds by the phrase...

"A workman who does not need to be ashamed."

HANDLING ACCURATELY: orthotomounta (PAPMSA): (Mt 13:52; Mk 4:33; Lk 12:42; Jn 21:15, 16, 17; Acts 20:27; 1Co 2:6; 3:1,2; 2Co 4:2; 1Thes 5:14; Heb 5:11, 12, 13, 14)

See sermon by C H Spurgeon Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Handling accurately (3718) (orthotomeo from orthós = right, standing upright, continuing in a straight direction, figuratively = right, true, of ethically correct behavior + témno = cut or divide) means to make a straight cut, cut straight (of a craftsman cutting a straight line, farmer plowing a straight furrow, mason setting a straight line of bricks, workmen building a straight road.

Metaphorically as used here it speaks of carefully performing a task.

The present tense calls for us to continually rightly divide the Word of Truth. We are to take no short cuts or vacations when it comes to handling God's Worth in a trustworthy manner. Every time you teach or preach God's Word of truth you must seek by the Spirit's illumination and the enabling grace of Christ to cut the Word of Truth straight. In marked contrast are the false teachers who twist the Scriptures to their temporal benefit and their and their hearers eternal detriment!

John MacArthur explains that...

Because Paul is a tentmaker, he may have been using an expression that tied in with his trade. When Paul made tents, he used certain patterns. In those days tents were made from the skins of animals in a patchwork sort of design. Every piece would have to be cut and fit together properly. Paul was simply saying, "If one doesn't cut the pieces right, the whole won't fit together properly." It's the same thing with Scripture. If one doesn't interpret correctly the different parts, the whole message won't come through correctly. In Bible study and interpretation the Christian should cut it straight. He should be precise... and accurate. (MacArthur, J: The Charismatics. Zondervan)

BDAG writes that orthotomeo is...

 found elsewhere independently of the NT only Pr 3:6; 11:5, where it is used with hodos and plainly means ‘cut a path in a straight direction’ or ‘cut a road across country (that is forested or otherwise difficult to pass through) in a straight direction’, so that the traveler may go directly to his destination. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature)

NIDNTT adds that

orthotomeo is found elsewhere only at Prov. 3:6 (In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.) and Pr 11:5 (Lxx = Righteousness traces out blameless paths: but ungodliness encounters unjust dealing.), where it is used in connexion with (hodos = way, path) cutting a path in a straight direction. It is connected with temno, cut. The idea is that of cutting a path through a forest or difficult terrain so that the traveller may go directly to his destination (Arndt, 584). The vb. occurs only at 2 Tim. 2:15 where the RSV has: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling [orthotomounta] the word of truth.” The phrase may be compared with Plato, Laws 7, 801E: “to proceed along the way of legislation which has been cleared [tetmemenen hodon] by our present discourse.” Arndt suggests that the meaning in 2 Tim. is to guide the word of truth along a straight path, like a road that goes straight to its goal. Other interpretations are to teach the word aright, expound it soundly, shape rightly, and preach fearlessly (cf. Moulton-Milligan, 456 f.). (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) 

The careful exegete and expositor of God’s word of truth must be meticulous in the way he interprets and pieces together the many individual truths found in Scripture. The first and most important principle is that of basing doctrine and standards of living on Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura), a key watchword of the Protestant Reformation.

The image of orthotomeo is that of laying out a road. The teacher is to lay out a clearly marked pathway for others to walk. This effort requires study. Teachers are those who have been gifted by the Spirit and have devoted their minds to God so that they might impart His wisdom to His people. The Word of God however can be abused as well as used. It is always in danger of being distorted by teachers who handle it casually. The only effective way to prevent distortion of the Word of truth is diligent preparation at the study desk.

Where teachers and learners are lax in their study of the Scriptures, Bible classes are often filled with godless chatter and vain babblings. Instead of becoming mature in the faith, members and teachers become ungodly. Yet they claim success because their teaching becomes so popular, spreading "like gangrene.''

Spurgeon commenting on "handling accurately" writes...

“Rightly dividing, or Straight Cutting. A ploughman stands here with his plough, and he ploughs right along from this end of the field to the other, making a straight furrow. And so Paul would have Timothy make a straight furrow right through the word of truth. I believe there is no preaching that God will ever accept but that which goes decidedly through the whole line of truth from end to end, and is always thorough, honest, and downright. As truth is a straight line, so must our handling of the truth be straightforward and honest, without shifts or tricks. There are two or three furrows which I have labored hard to plough. One is the furrow of free grace. “Salvation is of the Lord,” — he begins it, he carries it on, he completes it. Salvation is not of man, neither by man, but of grace alone. Grace in election, grace in redemption, grace in effectual calling, grace in final perseverance, grace in conferring the perfection of glory; it is all grace from beginning to end. If we say at any time anything which is really contrary to this distinct testimony that salvation is of grace, believe us not. This furrow must be ploughed fairly, plainly, and beyond all mistake. Sinner, you cannot be saved by any merit, penance, preparation, or feeling of your own. The Lord alone must save you as a work of gratis mercy, not because you deserve it, but because he wills to no it to magnify his abundant love. That is the straight furrow of the Word. (click full sermon "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth")

Barclay comments that orthotomeo

literally means to cut rightly. It has many pictures in it. Calvin connected it with a father dividing out the food at a meal and cutting it up so that each member of the family received the right portion. Beza connected it with the cutting up of sacrificial victims so that each part was correctly apportioned to the altar or to the priest.

The Greeks themselves used the word in three different connections. They used it for driving a straight road across country, for ploughing a straight furrow across a field, and for the work of a mason in cutting and squaring a stone so that it fitted into its correct place in the structure of the building. So the man who rightly divides the word of truth, drives a straight road through the truth and refuses to be lured down pleasant but irrelevant bypaths; he ploughs a straight furrow across the field of truth; he takes each section of the truth, and fits it into its correct position, as a mason does a stone, allowing no part to usurp an undue place and so knock the whole structure out of balance. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

Let us continually seek to be like the Psalmist who wrote...

Thy word is very pure,
Therefore Thy servant loves it.
Psalm 119:140- note

Spurgeon (note) commenting on this verse writes...

Thy word is very pure. It is truth distilled, holiness in its quintessence. In the word of God there is no admixture of error or sin. It is pure in its sense, pure in its language, pure in its spirit, pure in its influence, and all this to the very highest degree -- "very pure."

"Therefore thy servant loveth it," which is a proof that he himself was pure in heart, for only those who are pure love God's word because of its purity. His heart was knit to the word because of its glorious holiness and truth. He admired it, delighted in it, sought to practise it, and longed to come under its purifying power.

George Horne adds...

Thy word is very pure. In the original, "tried, purified, like gold in the furnace," absolutely perfect, without the dross vanity and fallibility, which runs through human writings. The more we try the promises, the surer we shall find them. Pure gold is so fixed, Boerhaave, informs us of an ounce of it set in the eye of a glass furnace for two months, without losing a single grain.

John Morison writes...

 Thy word is very pure; therefore, etc. The word of God is not only "pure," free from all base admixture, but it is a purifier; it cleanses from sin and guilt every heart with which into comes into contact. "Now ye are clean," said Jesus Christ to his disciples, "by the word which I have spoken unto you": John 15:3. It is this its pure quality combined with its tendency to purify every nature that yields to its holy influence, that endears it to every child of God. Here it is that he finds those views of the divine character, those promises, those precepts, those representations of the deformity of sin, of the beauty of holiness, which lead him, above all things, to seek conformity to the divine image. A child of God in his best moments does not wish the word of God brought down to a level with his own imperfect character, but desires rather that his character may be gradually raised to a conformity to that blessed word. Because it is altogether pure, and because it tends to convey to those who make it their constant study a measure of its own purity, the child of God loves it, and delights to meditate in it day and night.

Sir William Jones (1746-1794) wrote...

Thy word is very pure. Before I knew the word of God in spirit and in truth, for its great antiquity, its interesting narratives, its impartial biography, its pure morality, its sublime poetry, in a word, for its beautiful and wonderful variety, I preferred it to all other books; but since I have entered into its spirit, like the Psalmist, I love it above all things for its purity; and desire, whatever else I read, it may tend to increase my knowledge of the Bible, and strengthen my affection for its divine and holy truths.

Graham writes the following concerning "Thy word"...

Let us refresh our minds and our memories with some of the Scripture adjuncts connected with "the word," and realize, in some degree at least, the manifold relations which it bears both to God and our souls. It is called "the word of Christ," because much of it was given by him, and it all bears testimony to him...It is called "the word of his grace," because the glorious theme on which it loves to expatiate is grace, and especially grace as it is seen in Christ's dying love for sinful men. It is called ololoj tou staurou, "the word of the cross" (1 Corinthians 1:18), because in the crucifixion of the divine Redeemer we see eternal mercy in its brightest lustre. It is called "the word of the gospel," because it brings glad tidings of great joy to all nations. It is called "the word of the kingdom," because it holds out to all believers the hope of an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. It is called "the word of salvation," because the purpose for which it was given is the salvation of sinners. It is called "the word of truth," because, as Chillingworth says, it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without mixture of error for its contents. And we will only add, it is called "the word of life," because it reveals to a sinful, perishing world the doctrines of life and immortality. -- IV. Graham, in "A Commentary on the First Epistle of John," 1857.

THE WORD OF TRUTH: ton logon tes aletheias:

Word of Truth - What a beautiful name for the Bible, especially in a world which is becoming more and more the opposite, where men's words are no longer binding. How we need to remember that Satan is a liar, the father of lies and has no truth in him, which emphasizes our great need to be totally dependent on the Word of Truth to counter his evil but very deceptive lies! Take a moment and ponder each of the 5 Biblical uses of this great phrase Word of Truth (Ps. 119:43; 2Co. 6:7; Col. 1:5; 2Ti 2:15; Jas 1:18)

Think of God's Word of Truth as the "sun" (Son) and then consider how the planets function in such order as they rotate around the sun. In a similar way believers should live their entire Christian life within the orbit of God's Word of Truth, ultimately manifest in the Logos, His precious Son, Our Lord and King. Amen.

The following "outlines" on the Word of Truth are adapted from Spurgeon's notes on Psalm 119:140 (see notes directly preceding)

The crystal stream (of the Word of Truth)

(a) Flows from under the throne.
(b) Mirrors heaven.
(c) Undefiled through the ages.
(d) Nourishes holiness as it flows.

The enraptured pilgrim.

(a) Keeping by its brink.
(b) Delighted with its lucid depths.

Pleased with its mirrored revelations -- self, heaven, God.

Cleansed and refreshed by its waters. --W.B.H

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The purity of God's Word (of Truth)

(a) It proceeds from a perfectly pure source: "Thy word."
(b) It reveals a purity otherwise unknown.
(c) It treats impure subjects with absolute purity.
(d) It inculcates the most perfect purity.
(e) It produces such purity in those who are subject to its power. --

The love which its purity inspires in gracious souls.

(a) They love it because, while it reveals their natural impurity, it shows them how to escape from it.
(b) They love it because it conforms them to its own purity.
(c) They love it because to a pure heart the purity of the word is one of its chief commendations. --

The evidences of this love to the pure word.

(a) Desire to possess it in its purity.
(b) Subjection to its spirit and teachings.
(c) Zeal for its honour and diffusion. --W.H.J.P.

Word (3056) (logos from légō = to speak with words; English = logic, logical) means something said and describes a communication whereby the mind finds expression in words. Although Lógos is most often translated word which Webster defines as "something that is said, a statement, an utterance", the Greek understanding of lógos is somewhat more complex.

the Greek term for word is lógos; but lógos does not only mean word; it also means reason. For John, and for all the great thinkers who made use of this idea, these two meanings were always closely intertwined. Whenever they used lógos the twin ideas of the Word of God and the Reason of God were in their minds.  (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

Truth (225) (aletheia from a = without + lêthô = that which is hidden) means containing nothing that hidden that will cause it to self destruct. Whatever God says (is truth).

Aletheia - 98v in NT - Matt. 22:16; Mk. 5:33; 12:14, 32; Lk. 4:25; 20:21; 22:59; Jn. 1:14, 17; 3:21; 4:23f; 5:33; 8:32, 40, 44, 45, 46; 14:6, 17; 15:26; 16:7, 13; 17:17, 19; 18:37, 38; Acts 4:27; 10:34; 26:25; Rom. 1:18, 25; 2:2, 8, 20; 3:7; 9:1; 15:8; 1 Co. 5:8; 13:6; 2 Co. 4:2; 6:7; 7:14; 11:10; 12:6; 13:8; Gal. 2:5, 14; 5:7; Eph. 1:13; 4:21, 24, 25; 5:9; 6:14; Phil. 1:18; Col. 1:5, 6; 2Thess. 2:10, 12, 13; 1 Tim. 2:4, 7; 3:15; 4:3; 6:5; 2 Tim. 2:15, 18, 25; 3:7, 8; 4:4; Titus 1:1, 14; Heb. 10:26; Jas. 1:18; 3:14; 5:19; 1Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:12; 2:2; 1Jn. 1:6, 8; 2:4, 21; 3:18, 19; 4:6; 5:7; 2Jn. 1:1, 2, 3; 3Jn. 1:1, 3, 4, 8, 12

Truth is the correspondence between a reality and a declaration which professes to set it forth. Words are true when they correspond with objective reality: Persons and things are true when they correspond with their profession. Hence a truth is a declaration which has corresponding reality, or a reality which is correctly set forth. Since God is Himself the great reality, that which correctly sets forth His nature is pre-eminently the Truth. Ultimately Jesus is "the Truth" and He is "the Word".

Pastor Cole emphasizes that the description of God's Holy Word as the word of truth is important because...

Truth is accurate, objective and knowable, not subjective and fluid. If a carpenter showed up at your house and didn’t have a level, square, tape measure or set of plans, you’d be a bit concerned. If you asked him about his methods and he said, “We all have different ways of seeing things and no way is absolutely right. Who’s to say that your house has to be plumb and square?”—you’d be even more concerned! You want your house built carefully and accurately according to the plans. God’s Word is not the sort of thing where one person can see it one way and another person can see it another way and it really doesn’t matter because no one can know what it means. Every biblical text has a fixed meaning that is true and never changes. Based on and stemming from that meaning, it may have a different significance or application for different people and at different times for the same person. But we need to use the tools of Bible study and interpretation to discover the meaning of each text in its biblical context. Otherwise, we’re being sloppy workmen with God’s Word of truth. (See full message 2 Timothy 2:14-19 Using the Word Properly)

Click the following resources which present some guidelines to help you accurately handle the Word of truth - Inductive Bible study (observation) (Interpretation) (Application) (Meditate) (Primer on Biblical Meditation)

God’s word of truth in Scripture is the source and measure not only of all spiritual and moral truth but of all truth of any sort on which it speaks. Sometimes in the NT, the phrase word of truth, or message of truth, refers specifically to the gospel. Every aspect of God’s truth is to be handled accurately, as a sacred trust by those who teach it and by those who hear it.

It is clear from both the OT and NT, as well as church history and our own time, that many of the worst false teachers claim to be servants of God. The majority of scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day considered themselves to be the godliest of the godly, as well as the only reliable interpreters of Scripture. Yet Jesus described them in (Jn 8:44). Even apart from those extremes, anyone who ignores, misrepresents, misinterprets, or detracts from God’s truth by adding to it or taking away from it (Re 22:18, 19-see notes Revelation 22:18;  22:19) has reason to be ashamed as well as fearful. Whether consciously or not, those who corrupt and denigrate God’s truth are the spiritual children of Satan. They are purveyors of his abominable lies and are under God’s sovereign and certain judgment.

Remember the wise words of Richard Baxter to the people of Kidderminster:

Were you but as willing to get the knowledge of God and heavenly things as you are to know how to work in your trade, you would have set yourself to it before this day, and you would have spared no cost or pains till you had got it. But you account seven years little enough to learn your trade and will not bestow one day in seven in diligent learning the matters of your salvation.

Matthew Henry writes that we are to...

Study to show thyself such a one, a workman that needs not be ashamed. Ministers (Ed note: all believers are priests of the Lord and all have a spiritual gift and hence all have a ministry to and for the Lord) must be workmen; they have work to do (see note Ephesians 2:10), and they must take pains in it. Workmen that are unskillful, or unfaithful, or lazy, have need to be ashamed; but those who mind their business, and keep to their work, are workmen that need not be ashamed. And what is their work? It is rightly to divide the word of truth. Not to invent a new gospel, but rightly to divide the gospel that is committed to their trust. To speak terror to those to whom terror belongs, comfort to whom comfort; to give every one his portion in due season, Mt. 24:45. Observe here, 1. The word which ministers preach is the word of truth, for the author of it is the God of truth. 2. It requires great wisdom, study, and care, to divide this word of truth rightly; Timothy must study in order to do this well.

William Kelly gives us some practical application of this passage writing that...

there is also a more positive and personal call in verse 15: "Be diligent to present thyself approved to God a workman not to be ashamed, cutting straightly the word of truth." Example sways more than precept, and those who teach others have especial reason to dread failure or carelessness in themselves. Further, every pious man knows that the first of all obligations is to stand right with God. Timothy therefore was to use diligence to present himself approved to God in the first instance. Where this was not true, his words might be right enough in themselves, but his work would lack blessing, and himself be ever liable to shame. In fact his course would be more or less hypocritical. There could be no courage before the enemy, where the conscience was not good before God. One must seek to be approved alike in conduct and service, approved to God if shame is to be avoided even now. Again, what confidence can there be in drawing out and applying the word of truth with an unwavering heart and hand? The scripture needed might otherwise condemn oneself. A man without conscience might speak out boldly; he that feared God must tremble in blaming another for a wrong which he knew in himself. It is of all importance therefore! that the workman should present himself approved to God: otherwise his testimony cannot but be timid, feeble, and uncertain. (2 Timothy Commentary)

Ray Pritchard has these words regarding the importance of all believers rightly dividing the word of truth...

Verse 15 is the key to this whole section. If we are going to be used of God to reach others, we must be “approved workers” who are not ashamed because we correctly handle the word of truth. The phrase “approved workers” speaks of craftsmen who are gifted and dedicated to doing excellent work. Let me illustrate. A friend asked me to recommend a good auto body shop because his car had been in a wreck. I didn’t hesitate but was glad to mention a certain establishment in Oak Park. A quick check of the phone book shows that there are many auto body shops in our area. I don’t know about all of them, but I do know about some of them, and there is only one that I would recommend. It’s a shop that our family has used on numerous occasions, starting with the time eight or nine years ago when our van was totally wrecked all the way to this summer when we’ve had both our cars in the shop. The owner is a good friend of mine and I have gotten to know him well over the years. But I do not use his shop because of our friendship. We keep going back because of the high quality of service. I know from experience that his people take great pride in what they do. They are totally dedicated to doing the job and doing it right. And (though I can’t say this for certain) I have the feeling that my friend can be pretty tough on his own people if he thinks they aren’t giving a full effort. As far as I am concerned, he is an “approved worker” who does not need to be ashamed because he correctly handles the cars that come into his shop.

Those who serve the Lord must take care in the way they handle the Word of God. In the King James Version, the phrase reads “rightly divide.” The Greek word means something like cutting a straight furrow or making a straight path. We must not use the Word of God to support a pet theory or our own ideas, but must follow the true teaching of the Word of God, making it the straight pattern for life. This involves knowing the Word and being able to explain it accurately to others.

First, I must know the Word.
Second, I must apply it to my own life.
Third, I must diligently study it in order to teach it.
Fourth, I must teach it correctly so that others will understand it.

This command applies not only to pastors and missionaries, but also to every Christian. It certainly applies to Sunday School teachers and to small group leaders. It applies to everyone involved in personal discipleship. It applies to parents who must teach their children. It applies to believers who want to win their friends to Christ.

If you are grounded in the Word, you will avoid quarrels (v. 14) because they produce spiritual catastrophe in those who listen. You will avoid “godless chatter” (v. 16) because it is a kind of spiritual gangrene that destroys the soul. You will be aware of false teachers (vv. 17-18) who have wandered away from the truth. Paul even names two false teachers who had once been leaders in the church, but had drifted into serious doctrinal error that was corrupting other believers. They denied the truth of the bodily resurrection of the dead, thus robbing believers of the hope of seeing again their departed loved ones who died in the Lord.

All Christians are either “approved workers” or “ashamed believers.” To be approved means that we have built our lives on the Word of God and therefore, our ministry to others can stand the test of time. Because we know the truth, we can teach the truth to others and make them strong.

An “ashamed” believer is one who is weak because he does not know the Word and therefore is tossed back and forth, always following the latest fad. Such a person is gullible, easily deceived, easy prey for false teachers, unstable, unsteady in the time of crisis, and prone to follow bad advice. Such a person will always have a negative influence on others.

How do you become an “approved worker?” The King James Version says “study to show yourself approved.” Other translations use phrases like “be diligent” or “make every effort” or “do your best.” The point is, it doesn’t happen by accident. My friend who runs the auto body shop sets high standards and holds himself to those standards. When he hires a new worker, he takes the time to show them how to produce high-quality work and he won’t accept less than that. If we were as serious as that in our walk with the Lord, we would soon be “approved workers” who correctly handle the word of truth.

Knowing the Bible is absolutely crucial for your spiritual growth. Years ago our church was called the Madison Street Bible Church. We put the word Bible right in our name to show that we want to be biblical in all we say and do. That’s why the Bible is the basis for every sermon, every program, and every class we offer. We want to grow a congregation that is Bible-based and Bible-saturated.

So how are you doing in your knowledge of the Word? Do you read the Bible on a daily basis? What steps have you taken to grow deeper in the Word? If you want to be an “approved worker” whom God can use, you must be grounded in the Word. And remember, it doesn’t happen by accident. Make it your aim to know God’s Word deeply so God can use you greatly. (Read Dr Pritchard's full message 2 Timothy 2:14-16: The Life God Blesses) (Bolding and color added for emphasis)

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WATCHING THE SIGNS (rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15) How thankful we should be for the wonderful highways which crisscross our nation. This is truly a far cry from the early days of the automobile when paved roads were a rarity, and when the best of highways could be transformed within minutes from a ribbon of dust into a river of mud. Yet there are times when those primitive roadways seem good to me, especially when I arrive in a strange city on one of our superhighways and find myself surrounded by lanes of "speeding steel" and barraged by numerous signs indicating different routes and directions. It can be confusing! But I've found a way to overcome this frustration : know where you are going, and the number of the route that will take you there. Then watch for that alone! The other signs will tend to mix you up if they are not kept in proper relationship with that which really applies to you.

Many folks today are similarly perplexed and confused in their study of the Scriptures, simply because they don't know how to read the "road signs" of the Bible. They have never appreciated the admonition of Paul to Timothy about "rightly dividing the word of truth." If we would fully understand the Scriptures, we must know which passages are directed primarily to us. It is true that all of Scripture is for us, for we read: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16); yet every verse was not written specifically to us. We have no right to claim for ourselves God's special promises to Israel, nor would we foolishly appropriate their curses.

Even as in traveling along a freeway we must determine which signs apply to us, so, too, in the study of the Word we must always consider to whom it was written and for what purpose. As we do this, the entire Book will become much more meaningful to us. (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Ever present, truest Friend,
Ever near Thine aid to lend,
Guide us as we search the Word,
Make it both our shield and sword!—M. M. Wells, alt.

When you study the Bible "hit or miss,"
you MISS more than you HIT!

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HANDLE WITH CARE - In an excavation at Jerusalem, archeologist Gabriel Barkay uncovered a small copper scroll with writing on it from the Bible. This fragment of Scripture was brittle and tarnished with age. Barkay took it to his laboratory and worked with unbelievable patience and delicate care to unroll it without destroying it. Dated around 400 BC, the scroll was a very important find because it contained the earliest written Hebrew name for God, Yahweh (or Jehovah). Apparently the scribe who copied it had broken with the practice of never writing that sacred name. Always before, because of their reverence for its holiness, Jewish scribes had felt unworthy to pen that special name. The Bible is God's holy, inspired, infallible Word, and we must handle its truths with the same care Barkay gave to his discovery and the same reverence the copyists gave to God's name. Scripture comes to us from God's heart. Therefore, we must guard its message with integrity by "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2Ti 2:15). We must respect its every word. To take Scripture out of context or twist its meaning to serve our purposes or justify our own opinions is to dishonor God's Word and His name. Let's always handle the Word of God with care. --D C Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The Bible stands, and it will forever
When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given--
All its precepts I will obey. --Lillenas

Open your Bible prayerfully,
read it carefully,
and obey it joyfully.

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THE VALUE OF READING IN CONTEXT - A father was telling his son the Bible story about Lot. He said,

"God was going to destroy the city of Sodom, so He warned Lot to take his wife and flee. But when Lot's wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt."

Puzzled, the boy asked,

"What happened to the flea?"

This humorous misunderstanding points out a deeper problem some of us have with the words of the Bible. Although we believe that every word of Scripture is inspired (2Ti 3:16), this doesn't mean we should take every word literally regardless of its context. Some people seem to do this and thereby miss the true meaning of many Bible passages. The Bible is filled with images-word pictures we call similes and metaphors (see terms of comparison). The book of James gives us a classic example, calling the tongue "a fire" (Jas 3:6). We know it doesn't mean that we have a literal flame in our mouth. Jesus used figurative language too. He said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out" (Mt 5:29-note). What He meant, of course, is that we should take strong measures to keep ourselves from sin. We need to listen carefully to what God is saying in His Word so we can put it into practice. His Word is a "lamp" for our feet and a "light" for our path (Ps 119:105 - Spurgeon's note).-D J De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

OBSERVATION: What does the context say?
INTERPRETATION: What does the text mean?
APPLICATION: What does it mean to your life?

A text taken out of context becomes a pretext.
(Pretext = a purpose or motive alleged or an appearance  assumed in order to cloak the real intention or state of affairs)

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By the time D. L. Moody arrived on the evangelistic scene the biblical literacy rate in America had plummeted. There was a time in American history when more than 90% of the population read the Bible regularly. Sermons were full of illustrations taken directly from the Bible. Unlike the other evangelists before and after him, Moody devoted several sermons to the topic of Bible study. According to him, the important tools for effective study are a large-print Bible, concordance, and a Bible dictionary. Moody studied entire books, special biblical topics, as well as important Bible characters. Intensive Bible study contributed a lasting influence to his own life. He realized that a sermon would eventually be forgotten, but if his audience could be stimulated into the habitual study of God’s Word, they would experience greater spiritual maturity.

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Guy King writes the following notes on this verse...

THE PRECIOUS WORD

It is seen in verse 15, "the word of truth." Those who remember the great Torrey and Alexander missions in this country, will recall how that this verse was a kind of watchword, what we should now call a "slogan" of their campaigns. In sending letters people would put on the envelopes "2 Timothy 2:15"; they would dispatch telegraphs bearing the message "Two Timothy Two Fifteen"; they would greet one another in the street with the same words; there were placards on the boardings, posters at the houses - everywhere was "Timothy 2:15."

Well, here it is again: we might very profitably adopt it as the slogan, the motto, of our own life. It seems to me to be a most delightful summing-up of a satisfactory Christian life, with a revelation of its secret, "the word of truth."

See here, then...

(a) The work well done - "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed."

This is just another illustration of the strenuousness of the Christian life, which this Second Chapter has so urgently underlined. We have already learnt that the believer is intended to be a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer - now he is an artisan: he is expected to be a worker. Evidently, the Christian life is no picnic; How will this workman become ashamed?

(i) If he do his work badly - we ought all, and always, to put our very best into it; but do we?

How often we go to it very ill prepared. A Sunday-school teacher, for instance, puts hardly anything into the task of getting his Lesson ready, scarcely looks at it until Saturday evening, has got so into the habit of slackness that he has come to feel almost that anything will do for the children. In the day when our Christian work is judged (1Corinthians 3:11, 12, 13, 14, 15), such a man would stand dreadfully ashamed. He had better be thoroughly ashamed of himself now. Look at Jeremiah 48:10,

"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully [negligently]."

(ii) If he do it easily - with little cost to himself, and with no sort of sacrifice.

I have heard of Christian people refusing to take up spiritual work offered to them because it would mean giving up some bit of selfish enjoyment, or because they are so shy and would feel so dreadfully nervous, or because they fear they would get very tired. Make no mistake about it that a service without sacrifice is a shame worthy thing. The service that counts is the service that costs. So then, how much does your Christian work cost you?

(iii) If he do it fitfully - doing something if he feels like it, dropping it (and leaving the church!) if anyone dares to criticise at all, taking it up again if the inducement is powerful enough, or if the flattery is sufficiently agreeable. What a terrible way to treat what is one of the highest privileges of mankind.

(iv) If he do nothing at all - a drone in the hive.

A stranger was talking with one of the monks at the St. Bernard Hospice when one of the grand, magnificent dogs came home. It just slinked by, its tail down, its head dejected, its whole bearing the picture of misery. "What's the matter with that dog?" asked the visitor. "Oh, it has found nobody to help, and it is feeling so ashamed."

My friends, we could never have that brave animal's excuse - lost on the bleak mountains is a multitude of souls, needing desperately the help that we Christians alone can give: when we come Home at the End of the Day, how terribly ashamed we shall be, if we have never attempted to do a thing to help them. Some of us Christians are content to remain in our arm chairs, never moving a foot, never stirring a finger, to serve. Any such will have painful cause to hang their heads with shame when we meet the Lord. How grand, though, to be one of those faithful servants of His who have no need to be ashamed.

That leads us to the thought of

(b) The Master well pleased - "study to shew thyself approved unto God."

"Present thyself," it means...

(i) As one He can use.

Like a workman who comes each morning to his governor's office, to present himself for duty, ready for orders - GOD approves of that attitude. May we thus present ourselves every day -

"present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (logical) service," Ro 12:1-see note Ro 12:1.

(ii) As one He can trust.

Alas. He cannot always trust all His servants. In all the exquisite reality of His Humanity, we hear of His leaning upon the sympathy and fellowship of His friends, in a time of direst need - "tarry ye here, and watch with Me" (Matthew 26:38); but He found He could not rely on them, they went to sleep and let Him down.

On the other side of the matter, we shall recall that word He spoke to Elijah, in 1Kings 17:9.

"Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee"

Having commanded, He knew He could rely on her to do it. Mind you, if ever a person would have been justified in saying that she couldn't do it, it was she. There was nothing left in the larder, the last little scraps were about to be used in the last bit of food, before she and her boy must give themselves over, in that time of drought and famine, to death from starvation. How could she possibly feed the prophet besides? Was she willing? That was the crux of the matter; for, if she were willing, GOD would arrange for the doing of it - however impossible it appeared.

In all questions of GOD's service, He asks only for willing obedience - he will see to the means for doing it. How He "approved" of that woman of Zarephath that day, seeing she proved He could absolutely rely on her. And, on us?

A poor, ragged little fellow, who had no one to care for him, and who had recently been converted, was asked, "If GOD loves you, why doesn't He tell somebody to look after you?" To which he rather sadly replied, "I expect He does tell somebody, but somebody forgets", Is that somebody you? Has some poor, sin-stained, needy soul crossed your path, whom GOD expected you to help, and did you forget - or fail?

Oh, to be so in touch with GOD, day by day, that we may almost instinctively know His mind, and do His will, and so be "approved unto GOD."

(iii) As one He can reward.

When Life's Day is ended, and we go into His presence on finishing our Job, may we be able to present ourselves "approved - not ashamed," and to receive the supernal recompense of His

"Well done, good and faithful servant, . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," Matthew 25:21.

To enjoy His approval, and to share His joy: what a rich reward for any pains and sacrifices that our work may have involved. But such an approval will probably mean a considerable curtailment of others-pleasing, and certainly a complete end of self-pleasing. So we come to a last thought, which will supply the secret of this satisfactory Christian life, which has, all this while, been on our minds - the precious word:

(c) The Book well used -

"rightly dividing the word of truth."

This word is placed in every "workman's" hand: it is his Tool, which he must, by much study and practice, learn how to use skillfully, and which he must, on no account, allow to become blunted by misuse, or rusty from disuse. He must be, in every sense, a Man of the Book.

What is this "rightly dividing"? It is one word in the Greek, and means "cutting straight." All sorts of suggestions have been made by the commentators.

Some refer it to Straight Furrows: the Book is a very fruitful field, to receive whose full harvest the ploughman cuts his straight furrows.

Or, may be, it is Straight Roads: the Book is a great domain, to gain access to whose many benefits the engineer cuts his straight roads through.

John Calvin has a delightful suggestion. He thinks of Straight Slices: the Book is a wondrous loaf, a Bread of Life, to enjoy whose, nourishing strength the steward cuts his straight slices, for his own use, and for that of the whole household.

Straight furrows, shall we say, of painstaking Study; straight roads, perhaps, of Dispensational Study; straight slices, of Regular Study - not just lumps pulled off the loaf from any part, not isolated texts and bits, torn from their context, to feed some favoured theory, but the straight slices of orderly system, the Scripture Union, perhaps, or the International Bible Reading Association, or the Bible Reading Fellowship, or the Chapter a Day method, or the regular Church Calendar; something like Jehoiachin's "allowance" from Evil-merodach, in 2Kings 25:30, "a daily rate for every day, all the days . . ."

But, perhaps, what we are especially taught here is, not so much the importance of the "cutting", as the value of the "straight" - to deal in a straightforward way with the Bible, to the exclusion of all fanciful deviations and all "private interpretation," (1Pe1:20-note)

To be "approved unto GOD" we must "study" - or, be diligent; above all we must "study . . . the word of truth" - "the scripture of truth," to borrow the phrase of Daniel 10:21. Both in our personal life, and in our spiritual work, the Bible must have prime place; and we shall soon discover that it is not enough merely to read our daily portion, admirable though that laudable custom is, but we must give ourselves to diligent study making time, and taking pains. (2 Timothy 2:14-19 Three Words)