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.

God helps me do big things.

The other day Kelsey (3 yrs old) came home from church with picture of David and Goliath. If you take your kids to church, you know they almost always come home with some kind of craft or coloring paper, right?

This one intrigued me just a bit, so I thought I'd share it with you:



In case you can't read what it says (it's kinda small):

God helps me do hard things like save me from the dinosaurs and He already helps me run so fast.

Isn't that awesome? Thank you to those who volunteer their time to teach our children about God, and how awesome He really is.

Where's the PASSION?

Hannah Montana is in town tonight. (in case you haven't heard)
The question that came up in our staff devotions today is this: "How is it that people go so extremely nuts over some 14 year old girl who sings on a stage, but won't dare tell their neighbor about the love that Jesus Christ has for them?"

Ever thought about that? It drives me absolutely nuts! Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate Hannah Montana. My daughter is going to the show. They're going to have a ton of fun! But it will be over in a couple of hours. We'll wake up tomorrow, and go back about our daily routine. In 5 years will we even remember it?

Our eternity, and that of our friends and neighbors is at stake. Why don't we get as excited about telling them about Jesus? I think it comes down to this: PASSION.

We get emotional about whatever we are passionate about. When it comes to Christ, we somehow muster up enough passion to sing a few well written worship songs on Sunday morning, and maybe even Wednesday night. But then we leave church behind and go and try to fill the void in our lives with the emotional highs we get from big shows and entertainment.

What will it take for Christians to become passionate about Jesus? I don't know. I do know this: where your treasure is there your heart is also. Where your treasure is, there is your passion. What are you passionate about? Do your neighbors know?