All photos courtesy of Unsplash
I was reading a few weeks ago about a missionary in Afghanistan who was being taken to pockets of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ by a Christian Afghani guide. The missionary sat down at the side of the dusty road, took off his khaki rucksack removed his Bible and put it on the rough ground while he took a much-needed drink. As he enjoyed the thirst quenching, cool, refreshing water, he was very aware of his guide running towards him crying, ‘Please no!’
The guide was upset that the Bible had been placed on the floor, in the dust. The guide picked up the Bible and handed it back to the missionary, he explained just how much he valued God’s word. He had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ through someone telling him the good news of Jesus Christ but had no Bible. He eventually was given a few pages of the Bible; these were so precious to him, and he treasured them and the care that he had ensured that they did not become creased or damaged.
As I look around my home, I have dozens of Bibles and delight in distributing them to anyone who is interested in reading it. The Bible is precious to me, but I can not imagine just how much the Afghani guide loved his Bible.
It is amazing to think that the God who spoke and the universe appeared has spoken His words to us. When we read the Bible, we are hearing the voice of God. That must make us sit up and take notice.
The Bible teaches us that the all-powerful God is faithful, loving, fair, righteous and imparts justice. It teaches us about the history of God’s people and how God deals with us and what He wants us to know.
The Lord Jesus taught those who would listen about a radical new way.
In all cultures of this world, murder is seen as wrong! We know it is, our God given conscience tells us this. Yet when the Lord Jesus was teaching, He raised the bar. He taught that someone who is angry with his brother, is murderous in his heart. Here the Lord was showing that sin is not just our actions, but our words and even our thoughts. God who knows all things, knows our thoughts, and knows when anger is kindled.
Yet the God who knows the worst of our thoughts that we would ensure were not shared with anyone else, has kind and loving thoughts toward us. In Romans chapter 5 we are told that it was when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Our sin is offensive to God, yet He reacted in love giving His Son Jesus Christ for us.
The Bible teaches us many astounding things, this must be the greatest that Christ died for our sins, our actions, our words, and our thoughts. What is our response to it? Are we trusting in the Lord Jesus as Saviour?
The Bible is a living book, it is dynamic, and God speaks to us through it. We can not really get to know someone without speaking to them. This is the main way that God speaks to us, do we read it?
Sometimes we go through times where we wonder why things happen and why people do certain things that impinge on our lives. We sit there and wonder why God is allowing this. Many years later we can sit back and see the pattern that God’s hand has woven, but at the time it is hard to see where the threads are going. God’s word is littered with characters we can learn from, who must have felt the same and it is full of promises from God. One such promise is that He will never leave us. Is God’s word precious to us? Do we read it listening for His voice?
Written by Stuart Scammell for Your542Day & Messages with Meaning (18/08/21)
No comments
Post a Comment