"The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body." Ecclesiastes 12:11-12
There are some non-fiction books on my shelf, and many more on the shelves of bookstores and the public library that I will never have time to read. They are not divinely inspired. In fact, there are some authors who, after they have written a certain work, comment years later that they wrote in error.
There is only one Book that is without error, and that's the Bible. It is the #1 best-selling book of all time. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, as of 2021 the total number of Bibles printed is estimated to be between 5 and 7 billion. That's a lot of Bibles! Yet a 2023 State of the Bible report by the American Bible Society stated that 52 percent of Americans say they wish they read Scripture more, but only 14 percent say they have increased their Bible reading in the past year.
So it seems owning a Bible is popular, but actually reading it is not.
I'd love to see this change. I know from experience how daily reading of God's word transforms a person. It certainly has transformed me. As Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Daily reading of the Bible should be a priority. Something that we set aside time to do. There is no other single activity that will enrich our lives more. It takes discipline, and it is so worth the effort.
When it comes to knowledge for life, we can weary ourselves looking for answers in books written by men and women, or we can strengthen our hearts and minds by making the Bible our source of instruction. Between its covers we find all we need for an abundant life. I guarantee that spending time reading God's word will bring you closer to Him, and that is the abundant life!
Today's music video Your Word is Truth by Nathan Taylor affirms to the truth of God's word.
I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.
So true, Nancy! It is definitely life-changing, and time spent in the study of God's Word will always produce positive benefits and bring us closer to God. Thank you for consistently bringing us such meaningful devotions. You have an encouraging and helpful ministry!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same!
ReplyDeleteRegarding inerrancy, did you know that the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah in Hebrew, have an interesting equal letter spacing (ELS) code embedded into them?
ReplyDeleteThe book of Genesis spells out the word Torah, or more precisely the Hebrew word תורה, as a 50 letter sequence. If you start from the very first tav (ת) in Genesis and skip 49 letters, the 50th letter is a vav (ו), then skipping over another 49 letters brings you to a resh (ר), and then skipping over another 49 letters brings you to a heh (ה), thus spelling out תורה.
The book of Exodus also spells out the word Torah as a 50 letter sequence. The book of Leviticus spells out the name of God YHVH as a 7 letter sequence. The book of Numbers spells out the word Torah backwards as a 50 letter sequence. And the book of Deuteronomy spells out the word Torah backwards as a 50 letter sequence. In other words, the name of God is centered inside of the Torah.
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy
TVRH TVRH YHVH HRVT HRVT
---> ---> <--- <---
This is just one of the many interesting little details embedded into the original Hebrew manuscripts. So I absolutely agree; I wish more people would read their Bibles! And even better, if they would learn Hebrew, they could read it in a way no translation could possibly capture.
Thank you for your message to us today. I've been trying to do more writing of scripture. I started 1 Thessalonians on Saturday. By writing it out, it helps me remember it better. The older I get the less I seem to remember so anything that helps me is good. :-)
ReplyDeletePraying you have a blessed Tuesday.
Betsy