Better Keep Your Bible

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2l4wnq

There was a time when Bibles were so rare and expensive that they were chained to the pulpits in churches. Can you imagine only being able to have access to God’s word by going to the cathedral?

Of course, I’m not sure how much better off we are today if the only time we open our own copies of the Bible is when we are assembled for worship. The Bible is God’s word and we should all be diligent to study it and follow it.

Today it is not at all uncommon to be able to find the entire text of the Bible on sale for even as low as $1 each. Hotel rooms normally contain a complimentary copy of the Bible. Churches will give them out for free to anyone who asks for a copy. There really is no valid reason why anyone in this country should not have a personal copy of God’s word.

Bibles used to be treasured not only for their content but also for their material value. The Bible has become so common now that we sometimes take it for granted. In the celebration of our freedoms in this country, some people have sought to discredit or disallow the Bible. In many ways it is no longer fashionable or acceptable to follow the Bible.

One extreme case of note happened in Guyana, South America in 1978. Jim Jones had moved his People’s Temple membership from California to Guyana in the early 1970’s in an effort to establish a “utopian” society. While in the United States, Jones had often referred to the Bible in his teaching and writings. But then things changed.

Once people were firmly in the organization, which many describe as a cult, Jones began to draw his inspiration from other writings, of human origin, instead of the Bible. In fact, he began to declare himself as the Messiah and denounced the Bible as full of stories about a fictional “buzzard” god.

As his paranoia increased, Jones intensified his control over his followers. Many desired to leave, but were not permitted to do so. Eventually a congressional delegation from the United States was sent to investigate Jonestown on behalf of family members back home.

After a tense meeting between Jones and the delegation a few of the members were allowed to leave with the delegation and they made it as far as an airfield before being ambushed. Jones, fearing the next wave of investigators, initiated a mass suicide. When the next investigators arrived they found 909 dead bodies at that compound.

What they did not find anywhere on the property was a Bible. It had been forbidden.

Paul writes in 2 Tim 3:16-17, saying, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God gave us the Bible so that we would know how to live and what life was all about.

That book is to benefit us in many ways. It is used for doctrine, or in other words, teaching. Doctrinal disputes in religious circles will inevitably occur when people stray away from what the Bible says. Better to lean on God’s word than on our own understanding.

The Bible is also useful for reproof and correction. These similar words both include the process of setting one back on course. Either through drifting away innocently or by walking away from God willfully, the word of God is still beneficial in bringing people back to God.

Finally, the Bible is shown to be of benefit in teaching us how to be righteous. God instructs us on what it will take for us to be pleasing to Him.

Many people today will reject the Bible as the authority of morality. Some do this by attacking the Bible and others by simply letting apathy take root. Either way, without God’s word as a force in our lives, we are sure to fall short of eternal blessings.

On Our Daily Walk today, take a few minutes and count how many copies of the Bible you have in your home. Then thank God for the freedom you enjoy to own His word. May we never take the Bible for granted nor allow it to be taken away as our guide.

Our thought for the day: “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.