Shifting gears for a biker is as natural as breathing. We don't think about what gear we need to be in, we simply feel the bike beneath us, observe the road ahead of us, and shift appropriately.
But someone new to riding may not have this down very well. If you shift in the wrong way, you can create some serious problems for the bike and for you as a rider.
Imagine riding 70 MPH on the highway, engaging the clutch, then downshifting 2 gears.
Click click... then you reengage the clutch.
I don't even like to think about it! And, I'm sure those of you who ride are saying to yourselves, "why would you do that???"
Knowing how to properly shift is part of correctly riding a motorcycle. With care, we learned how, until it was natural.
How much more care should we give to learning the word of God?
Pulling a scripture out of it's proper context can be even more disastrous than being in the wrong gear at the wrong time.
That is why Paul tells Timothy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
If we are going to ride, we need to ride correctly, and if we are going to walk with Christ, we need to understand his word correctly as well.
