This week I have enjoyed looking back over my blogging years and reusing some of what I have written. It’s a useful thing to do on days that are so busy that creative thought is hard to come by. A year ago I wrote this:
Five Reasons I Read The Bible
I am passionate about the Bible. I love reading it. It speaks to my heart. Yet I too am human and I need to discipline myself to pick it up and read it. Every time I do, I am rewarded. It’s richness, it’s truths, the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through it make me into a better person. I need to read nothing else. The Bible has it all.
1. It’s the Word of God.
The Bible is an amazing book. It’s made up of ancient texts, the first of which dates back to about 1500 BC and the last at about AD100. While written by 40 different men, the same consistent thread winds its way through centuries of writings. The focus is the need we broken people have for a Saviour and how He came in the person of Jesus Christ.
2. No Other Book in History Claims to Contain the Word of God.
Throughout the Bible we read, “the Lord says” and what follows are what God has said. At least 3000 times, we read what God says.
3. Historically Factual.
It is a remarkable thing when you see evidence, in the 21st century of events that occurred during Bible times. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Rome in 2013. I stood beneath the oldest arch in the world and looked at a picture carved in the ancient rock. It depicted Roman soldiers robbing the Temple in AD70. The reliability has been researched by many scholars over the years. The preservation of the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls add to the reliabilty of the Old Testament writings.
Comparisons have been done between secular writers during the time of the New Testament, whose writing has been accepted and the authors of the New Testament, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. The secular writing give reliability and authenticity to the New Testament writing.
(Reference: https://www.probe.org/are-the-biblical-documents-reliable/)
4. It’s Real Stories of Real People Who Struggle Just Like Us
The Bible is made up of so many different kinds of writings, it cannot help but strike a chord. There’s law, history, prophecy, poetry, wisdom, parables and teaching for life. If you want to know how to live your life or if you want to be inspired, read the Bible.
5. It Contains Words of Eternal Life
This is something I have really only understood the more I have read the Bible. It is the reason I am so passionate about what it contains. On so many occasions, I have finished my Bible reading for the day and thought to myself, ‘this is why I keep on reading the Bible.’ It’s far deeper than just reading an interesting book. God speaks. Those words penetrate deep into my soul. They give me guidance; they encourage me; they challenge me; they humble me; they point out the error of my ways; they have made me cry; they have made me rejoice; they have lifted my spirits; they have given me a glimpse of the bigger picture; they have struck a chord with me that is supernatural and over and over again, they have drawn me closer to God.
Read the Bible. If you are a newbie, start with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. I remember reading John 1 for the first time after I became a Christian in July 1979. Even today, when I read these words, I get a sense of wonder and amazement that I am a child of God.
John 1:12
“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-…”
I got that right. You can too!
These are the days.
Keep the smile going
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂