Pastor’s Corner: Four questions

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

— Have a Holy Bible? Ever read it? What’d you think?

Do you know what it is?

I’ve heard many different answers to these questions and have received answers without even asking the questions. If your answer to “Do you have a Bible?” is “no,” guess what - I’ll giving you a Bible.

If the answer is “yes,” have you ever read it?

Some of us can honestly say “yes” and love it. Oddly, most people pipe in with a “yes...” and then the hesitation, because we should be saying “not really much” or “just a bit.” Keep trying, it’s worth it.

Now there are those who flat out answer “no.” I admire honesty.

If you have read it, what’d you think of what you did read? Love it?

Can’t understand it? Scare you? Change you? Most people agree that it is good, even if they don’t quite get it. Odds are the more you love it, the more it has changed you and became a guide for you and the more good it becomes for you. If it scared you, I’ll almost bet it was revealing something to you about yourself that was doing perfectly fine hiding in denial or ignorance.

For some of us, it cut us so deep to the heart that in order just to live we had to keep reading and searching just to find a way out. I hope you found it.

So, what is the Bible?

Why the fuss? Some say the Bible is a story of fables. A few call it a collection of paranoid conspiracy. Others will call it a book ofphilosophy with fanciful grandmother stories for teaching. Many claim that it contains the Word of God along with the history of a people. But if you read it all, you’ll find it claims to be the very Word of God.

The very Word of God?

Yep. In Second Timothy 3:16 it says: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

All of it? That’s what it says. So, if we can take God’s Word for what it is, or what it claims to be, you would think we just might pay attention when we do by chance read the thing.

Maybe God knows a little something that we don’t, He is God after all.

As for me, and I just might be foolish to some, I take it for what it says. Do I get scared? Yes. Cut to the heart? You bet, because I needed it. But it didn’t leave me there.

Instead I found the words of eternal life through Christ on the cross and risen from the dead, all just for me. Blown away and sometimes confused? Oh yeah, more now than ever.

Yet I’ve learned to listen to it, or read it, anyway. And by far, it is still the hardest book for me to pick up.

What about you? Have a Bible?

Church, Pages 2 on 10/21/2009