“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5
How much do you depend on God’s Word? We as Christians, talk about being close to God, but how often do we sit down, open the Bible to read His message to us? To have Him “speak” and encourage us to stay on His path?
The Bible was given as evidence of God’s everlasting love, with His Word therein a direct connection that He wants all people to have. Without His inspiring love letters and strong admonishments, we would not have the ultimate bond to our Creator. When we read this sacred book it puts us into an intimacy with our Lord Who knew each of us by name even before we were born.
There is a story about an old man who lived on a farm many years ago in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, he got up early and sat at his kitchen table reading from his old, worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like his grandfather, tried to imitate him in all things. One day the he asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?“. The old man smiled and quietly turned from putting coal in his old stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.” The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You will have to move a little faster next time”, and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. The same thing happened again on the second try, and on the third try, the boy ran even faster with the bucket while the old man watched. Out of breath, the boy said, “See grandpa, it’s useless!” The old man said, “So you think it is useless? Look closely at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean and shiny as new. “See son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible.You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change and cleanse you from the inside out. It turns all our lives inside out and transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ”.
God’s word tells of the past, the present and the future and is God’s way of communication to us. We find solace to ease our worries and struggles, and find timely answers that “hit home” for all of life’s situations and it tells each of us to depend on Him for all things. If we read the Bible, we will feel His presence through the Holy Spirit, and this gives us the closeness that surpasses all human understanding. Everything is there to give perception that we could not have known if God did not divinely revealed this through His Word. Books of the Old and New Testament Scriptures reveals God’s authority over a period of approximately1500 years. Hebrews 4:12 reads, “…the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Skeptics ask, “What evidence is there that God wrote this book? What is so special and unique about it? Is it true that the validity of the Bible is divinely inspired and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice?
There can be no doubt that the Bible is authentic. This is clearly seen in Paul’s commendation to Timothy: “… and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Consider the confirmation of over 2,000 accurately fulfilled predictions in the Bible, including some 300 specific details and implications about the life, death, and the resurrection of Christ. For example, Isaiah 53 describes the life of Christ 700 years before it took place! Micah 5:2, in the Old Testament foretold the birth of Jesus: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” And so, there are no prophetic failures. NONE! Those who doubted have not been able to dispute the evidence of history written long in advance of actual happenings. Bear in mind also, three of Jesus’ closest disciples were eye witnesses.
Marcellino D’Ambrosio writes, “The Bible is a privileged place where we encounter God and where He speaks a living, personal, life-changing Word to us. For in the sacred books, the Father Who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them. Christianity is ultimately not a philosophy but a relationship. And Bible reading for the Christian must always be in the service of deepening this relationship.” – Marcellino D’Ambrosio is a theologian and popular speaker. Read more at this link: Vatican II and The Word of God | Goal of Catholic Bible Study |Catholic Script
Know always that we can depend on God for everything we need. Time and mankind may try but can never change His truth for God is and will always be unchangeable. Read and find Him on every page of the Holy Bible, know we are in His Divine Presence, and that we are being touched and truly cherished by an Eternal God Who wants each one of us to live forever and ever with Him one glorious day.
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