Hi, my name is Dan and I’d love to share with you why I read the Bible. (This is part one of a four part series: see part 2, part 3, and part 4).
Did you know that, according to the Guinness World Records, the Bible is the top selling book of all time?! But the Bible is more than just a popular book — its words are worth more than buckets of gold! Let me explain.
The Psalms are ancient songs that were written in Israel around 3,000 years ago. We no longer have the music, but we still have the lyrical verses. The nineteenth song (or psalm) says the following:
They [God’s words] are more priceless than gold.
They have greater value than huge amounts of pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
that is taken from the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10).
We spend so much of our life trying to amass gold, money, wealth, and stuff. But all this is temporary — stuff can easily be lost or stolen. Rust or moths destroy our property. As we near the end of life, we often find ourselves trying to get rid of all the stuff we’ve amassed in life, because we can’t take stuff with us into death!
But the Bible has ‘greater value than huge amounts of pure gold.’ This is because the Christian Bible contains the very words of God. In particular, the Bible tells the story of Jesus — who claims to be the Son of God. (Jesus proved his claim by rising from the dead, but that’s another post). Through these divine words written in the Bible, God offers new life, now and in the age to come. The words in the Bible — particularly the words of Jesus Christ — freely offer forgiveness, wholeness, restoration, deep peace, and secure hope. It’s through his Word that we enter into relationship with God.
The good news is that God’s Word lasts for an eternity, and our relationship with God is for eternity too. In fact, one of Jesus’ followers, Simon Peter, once said to him, “Lord, to whom [else] shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68). This good news recorded in the Bible can never be lost, stolen, or destroyed. Jesus himself once said, “Do not put away riches for yourselves on earth. Moths and rust can destroy them. Thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, put away riches for yourselves in heaven. There, moths and rust do not destroy them. There, thieves do not break in and steal them.” (Matthew 6:19–20). Living a new life now and into eternity, as proclaimed by Jesus in the Bible, is more precious than all the gold in the world. These words have eternal consequences. Nothing can take away the forgiveness, wholeness, restoration, peace, and hope these true words bring — not even death itself. Nothing can take away your relationship with God.
And that’s one of the reasons why I read the Bible. The words in this book are worth more than all the gold in the world!
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If you’ve never read the Bible, why not give it a try? The Gospel of Mark is a good place to start. If you’ve read the Bible before, but not picked it up for a while, why not try it again? You could try the Letter to the Ephesians. If you’re local to the Sunshine Coast, Immanuel Church would love to help arrange someone to sit down with you to read the Bible — contact us to arrange.
If you already read the Bible regularly, have you given thought as to why you read this book? We’d love to hear why you read the Bible!