Several years ago, I was given a Mont Blanc
pen from a friend which at that time was valued at several hundred
dollars. As you may have guessed, it is
not a pen that I carry around in my pocket, and unfortunately, because of its
value I never use it. It seems absurd
that I wouldn’t use the pen for the very purpose it was designed for. What good is it sitting in a drawer?
We also have a couple of containers in our
house stuffed with cheap pens of an assorted variety. Most were purchased in bulk for just a few
cents apiece. Some work and some don’t,
but most write poorly and pale in comparison to my Mont Blanc. But they are easily accessible, so I end up
using them despite their poor quality.
Believers have been given an extremely
valuable gift that is often relegated to a coffee or bedside table. That gift is the Word of God found in our
Bible. Like a Mont Blanc pen, it comes in different translations and assortment
of formats, but its value is too high to place any dollar amount. Though we may be fortunate enough to have
several Bibles around our house its value remains. In fact, there are many in the world who would
give everything they own to be able to have just one!
Unfortunately, we do not read the Bible as
we should and resort to booklets, articles, devotionals, blogs, podcasts, and
radio programs where we get bits and pieces of the Bible. Like my cheap pen collection, they work
sometimes, and can be helpful, but never comes close to the real thing! In the end, we fall into the habit of substituting
what is expedient for what is truly beneficial and life changing.
The Bible is priceless because it is the
Word of God. It is how the God of
creation speaks to us. Through the work
of the Holy Spirit it is a living document that actively works God’s grace into
us: It changes us! Like a surgeon’s
scalpel, it cuts deep and exposes our thoughts, intentions, doubts and fears. That means spending time in God’s Word helps
us sort out our own feelings and struggles.
It does not leave us exposed, or in shame, but points us back to Jesus “the
author and finisher of our faith” where we always find mercy, forgiveness, and strength
for whatever trial we may be facing.
“For
the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and
discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
hi Dr. Orner - I like this thought. I was just poking around the churches web site, and noticed under resources TONS of websites, and books - but no link to the bible. No Amazon link to a copy of the ESV, no bible gateway link where you can always get a verse of the day. I think we should make an update to include those things.
ReplyDelete