Freedom is Good News Part 135

How powerful are words?  Concerning His own “words”, God said this, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.”  Wow!  That is a long time. 

In our previous article I mentioned that God spoke and the heavens and the earth were created.  God’s words are powerful!!

Here is how the apostle John begins his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  We may wonder what John is saying here but he goes on to explain, “(this Word) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.  He came unto His own but His own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God; born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”  I think it is especially interesting that John is inspired, by the Spirit of God, to call the one who would become the Savior, by the term “the Word”. (John 1:1-14)

Yes, God’s word is the ultimate in power and authority.  It is by His words that we truly have life, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  That everyone of us can have access to this word of His is truly a gift from God.  We have access to the written word of God because down through the ages men have given their lives to ensure its availability.  For a very modest amount of money, we may have this treasure to hold in our hands! 

But we have access to the true and living Word of God, Jesus Christ.  It is interesting how the bible describes this access to the Living Word.  In John 6:44 Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”  Earlier in this same chapter we read, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37)  And then once more in verse 65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has given it to him.” 

Access to this Living Word – Jesus Christ – is limited to the will of the Father.  I feel compelled to say, “Thank you, Father, for drawing me to your Son.” 

If you run across a new word that you have never used before, it is easy to get a dictionary and find its meaning.  (Oh, I know, nobody uses the dictionary anymore; you just ask your smart phone for the definition and bingo, you have it.)  But what if you want to come to know the true and living Word?  That is where the written word comes in.  Are you a curious person?  Are you one who wants to add to your knowledge?  The written word of God is a true treasure, filled with knowledge and understanding.  What?  It’s not easy, you say?  All things of value take hard work to attain.  But God is always there to help.  It may not be immediate, for God wants us to seek Him with all our heart.

Freedom is Good News Part 83

What is your take on the Word of God?  And by that I mean the entirety of the bible; from Genesis to Revelation.  This book is the essential reference work for our lives – and by that I mean every one of us in every aspect of our lives!  It is the book of life!

Can you imagine a scientist - say a chemist - trying to formulate some new product in the lab and not having access to any reference works?  From carpenters, plumbers and mechanics; to chemists, engineers and doctors, we need to learn our trades and specialties from the works of those who’s knowledge has preceded us. 

God has not only preceded us, He is from eternity and he is the one who created us.  And just as the automotive engineer has written a manual to let us know how the car should be maintained, God has a “manual” to let us know how our lives should be maintained.

So, what is your take on the Word of God?  I had an individual once tell me “it’s just a book of one’s own interpretation – you think it means one thing and I think it means something else”.  My answer to him was a question: “Have you read the bible?”  No he hadn’t.  Well, my friend (he was my nephew) until you read the bible and then tell me that you still believe the way you do, I must consider your view as one that lacks wisdom.  And so I must say the same to anyone who has never read the Word of God. 

Shall we just pay lip service to our Creator?  What did Jesus say concerning this?  “You hypocrites, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9) 

The bible is not an easy read.  But one thing I tried to teach my children is that the most worth-while things in life take the most work; there really are few easy answers.  And that is a hard lesson to learn.  We live in a culture that teaches us that our comfort and happiness are the most important things to us today.  And yet we, who call ourselves Christians, must understand that this world is just a temporary existence to train us and get us ready for an existence that is beyond our comprehension; an eternal existence of glory.  What does the Word of God say?  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)  “Our light and momentary troubles are preparing us for an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

I leave you with one final scripture, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparable great power for us who believe.” Your homework assignment is to find the whereabouts of that scripture!!