Genesis 3:1b "...Yea, hath God said..."
Satan has not, can not and will not stop God's Word. I remember my dad telling the story of a young girl who lived in a country where the Bible was not allowed to be read. Every night she walked for miles to reach a house where there was a Bible. She worked all night long writing out by hand books of the Bible. She wanted so much to be able to hold in her hands God's precious Word. Do we have that same desire and yearning for the Bible? Do we treasure our Bibles as the precious book that it is? Or do we casually toss it here or there, neglect to read it, letting it sit unopened and untouched for days at a time?
I often think that if we were to receive a letter from the Queen of England, written especially to us, we would treasure that letter. We would make sure that it was kept in a safe place, that it didn't get tossed around carelessly. We would take and read it, thrilled that it was a personal letter from the Queen to us. Well the King of Kings, God Almighty Himself has written a personal letter to us. It is filled with promises, admonitions, instructions, warnings and examples of what to do and not do; all written with tender love for His children.
Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."
Psalms 119:34 & 35 "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law (Word); yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments (Word); for therein do I delight."
Psalms 119 is a wonderful chapter all about God's Word (law, commandments, testimonies, precepts, statutes, judgements, ordinances). It says in verse 105 that God's Word is a lamp; verse 103, is sweeter than honey; verse 130, giveth understanding; verse 133, orders my steps; verse 165, gives peace; verse 174, brings delight.
This book is not a "magic" book, but it is a living book. Each page has been written by the breath of God. Just holding God's Word can bring comfort to a suffering saint. I remember the night my dad passed away, I was desperate for comfort. I opened my Bible to Psalm 121. I read it, then went to sleep with the Bible open next to me on my pillow. I found comfort and solace in the precious verses of this Psalm.
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. the LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. the LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore."
I have this whole Psalm highlighted in my Bible, along with "my prayer of help" written above it. God's Word becomes more precious the more we turn to it for help, comfort, instruction and direction.
2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
The more we read and study God's Word, the more that will be revealed to us. Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and suddenly seen something in it that you hadn't noticed before? God's Word is constantly teaching us. We need to be reading and studying it, to find what the Lord has to teach us each day. The Bible will never become "old" and "useless."
2 Timothy 3:16 & 17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Our Bibles should be one of our most precious treasures. We should eat, sleep, breathe and live the Word of God. Is God's Holy Word the center of your existence?
Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts."
Psalms 1:1 & 2 "Blessed (happy) is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night."
What do we spend out time meditating on? Worthless things or eternal things? Worthless things will not last, they will pass away with time. Eternal things are found in the Bible. These are treasures that are not confined to earthly time and space. There cannot be a value placed on the treasures found in the Word of God.
Matthew 4:4 "But He answered and said, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
This book that you can hold in your hands, thousands have given their lives for. Our brothers and sisters in Christ knew the importance of keeping the Word of God, not only in our hearts but also in our hands. We need to gain a reverence for the Bible and to teach our children to reverence the Word of God as well.
Deuteronomy 11:18 - 20 "Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates."
This is a life giving, life changing and life sustaining book. Read it, meditate on it, hide it in your heart, love and cherish it. It is God's love letter to YOU.
The Bible stands like a rock undaunted,
Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.
The Bible stands like a mountain towering,
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.
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.
The Bible stands every test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And to prove it and make it mine.
The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.
Haldor Lillenas
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