Good morning. I am back after a fishing get-away, and yes, we did catch fish…we have pictures!
Thanks for your patience while I have been gone. I will restart our “thought for the day” messages this morning and continue them every day as before. If you have any thoughts or suggestions for this ministry as we go forward, please send them to me. I would love the feedback.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
In this verse Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:2 in response to the temptations that Satan is offering Him. In this case, Satan, who knows that Jesus has been fasting for 40 days and is nearing death from starvation tells Jesus that “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be turned into bread.” Matthew 4:3
Jesus’ response is a great truth for us to consider: the Word of God sustains us beyond mere physical needs. My sermon this past Sunday centered upon the “I AM” saying of Jesus from John 6, “I AM the bread of life.” Much of that chapter records Jesus’ message to the people that while they tend to be most interested in filling their bellies, the real nourishment that they need is for Him, for Jesus, who will nourish and prepare them for eternal life.
We tend to take the availability of God’s Word for granted these days. But we should remember that until the invention of the printing press in 1440, access to the Bible was extremely rare and extremely expensive. Only a small percentage of the population were literate, and the written word in any form was treasured, Bibles above all else. Today, we have access to affordable Bibles, even to several translations of the Bible, and can access the Word online and through our phones. Amazing.
In our family there is the Harris family Bible that was passed down from my grandmother. It dates back a couple of hundred years. In the blank pages that precede God’s Word and those that follow it there is a record of the family. It records when our ancestors lived, when they were baptized, when they were married, and when they died…it is all in there, preserved. That Bible was, and is, a treasure. This is far from unique, in fact it was commonplace for families to use Bibles for this purpose because they knew that whatever information they wrote into the front and back of their Bibles would be protected, revered, and would survive while most everything else would eventually be thrown away. Bibles were beyond special, they were considered blessings of God.
The Bible as we know it, (remember that in the original Greek and Hebrew languages there were no chapters or verses,) has 66 books. It has over 1,100 chapters and over 31,000 verses. Of those 31,000 verses, which ones are unimportant? Be careful with your answer, remembering that you are considering God’s Word. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16-17
Indeed, it says ALL scripture, every word of it.
Our thought for today is that the Word of God is our written record of His will and His ways. It is our lifeline to His truth. It is our anchor for the inevitable storms that life brings us. It is God’s warm touch as well as the Word of His discipline to keep us on the correct path. It is the Word that Jesus read, quoted, and ultimately spoke into existence.
So, that is a telling of the value of God’s Word and its power. The only thing left to consider is what good it is doing for you. You see, the worth of God’s Word is very personal. It is only as valuable as you choose to make it. Which is to say, it is only of value when you read it, learn it, quote it, and love it.
God bless your reading of His Word today!
Vern