December 05, 2007

The Greatest Book

I've been challenged lately by the number of people who claim to be Christ followers, who do not read the Bible. That's like saying that I am a student of physics, yet never crack open a physics book! How can this be?

The Bible is the greatest book ever written. It was given to us by God, through men who wrote down what the Holy Spirit was directing them to write. The Bible will change your life. It really will. It is powerful, it is alive, it will penetrate into the innermost part of who you are and show you things you didn't even know about yourself. The Bible has the power to transform and lead you into things we haven't even dreamed of yet.

Have you ever watched "The Neverending Story?" Toward the beginning of the story, a young boy who loves to read is confronted with a book that is described to him as 'unsafe.' His books are safe - he can become the character he is reading about, then close the book and return to real life. But this book is different. Once you enter into the Neverending Story, that becomes your reality, you cannot escape. It's more than just a story.

The Bible is not safe! Once you enter into the story presented in God's Word, you cannot escape. You join the story. You cannot separate reality from what you read in God's Word, because it is reality.

Sounds strange, doesn't it? Trust me, it's the real deal. I dare you to start reading the Bible, today, right now. It's not safe.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I completely agree that once you beginning reading the Bible (sans the lines of heritage found in the Old Testament!), it's hard to stop.

I must say that I am encouraged by your desire to pursue God and understand His Word through indepth Bible Study. I've experienced times of complete confusion as well, but I've always experienced peace and reassurance after reading the Bible. I recently found a resource online called
Bible Study Tools that I think you would enjoy. The reason I like it so much and want to share it with you is because I can read so many commentaries, 29 different translations/versions, lexicons, Greek and Hebrew, devotionals and more all for free. I could never afford these books nor would I have the time to search through all of them! I also like that I can highlight text and save notes. The screen is split-panel so it lets you compare versions, commentaries, etc. which makes it extremely easy to use. I hope you get a chance to check it out! It's been a blessing for me and I want to let others know that they can find tools to understand the Bible without having to go to seminary! I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it has the ability to enlighten and impart wisdom, but it helps to have resources that dig deeper into the meaning behind certain words, parables, etc.

Here's the link again: Bible Study Tools

Anonymous said...

Geoff,

You are so right about reading the Bioble will change your life. It has to really be studied as well to fully appreicate what God is telling us with his word. When you go into depth on the Wednesday night service by just examining a few versus that are part of the message, it just amazes me the wisdom and teaching that is packed into every verse. Thanks for the help and insight

Fred G.