Priceless

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).

1 comment:

  1. 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.

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