Proper use or abuse of scripture?

[Guest]

Many people use Scripture as a "spiritual phrase book" or something -- they take verses WAY (and I mean WAY) out of context to comfort themselves or others -- a cancer survivor recently quoted Paul

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
(2 Cor. 4:15

as a comfort that their illness was for their benefit, etc. Daily devotionals need a scripture and almost always take one that sounds like their well-meaning point regardless of what the verse was intended to mean.

My concern is that this might cause people to re-enforce wrong views of the scripture.

Is this a "dual" purpose of scripture? Or is it taking the Word in vain and co-opting it for our own (even well-intended) purposes, depriving it of the power it would otherwise have?

What do you think? I'd love to hear Steve's thoughts on this subject -- I may try and call in and ask on the air.