Weekly Devotionals – 2 August 2021

The Bible comprising 66 books was written over a span of 1500 years by 40 different authors, in different timelines and cultures. These authors came from diverse backgrounds, occupations and among them were fishermen, tax collectors, shepherds, prophets, preachers and kings.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 reveals to us the Scripture was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The word inspired is a translation of the Greek word “theopneustos”, meaning God-breathed. Thus, the origin of the Scripture is God, not man; it is God-breathed.

It further reveals to us the Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Scripture has the unique power to transform the human heart. It enlightens our minds to the reality of sin, unveils God’s glorious plan of salvation for mankind, teaches us how to overcome sin, shows us how to live an overcoming life and many others.

The Bible is our moral and spiritual compass. It is the foundation for the believer’s moral, ethical behaviour and spiritual belief system. When our moral compass is not correctly aligned with God’s Word, it will result in serious consequences of eternal separation from the Creator God and condemnation.

By reading and meditating on it daily, the believer is in a stronger position to overcome the sinful habits and ungodly addictions in his life. The Word of God guides and directs every believer to walk in the straight and narrow path which leads to abundant and everlasting life.

Come to think of it, there are no other books in the world that can transform a hardened criminal to a law-abiding citizen or a recalcitrant sinner to a firebrand preacher for Christ.

Psalm 119:130 admonished us, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”

The Word of God is the doorway to our understanding of the complexities in life that even those who are not academically inclined can understand it. God’s intention is for His Word to reach all strata of society; the young or old, the rich or poor, the educated or uneducated, because everyone needs to hear the Gospel message of hope and salvation.

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

More than 2000 years had gone by, yet according to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.

At the end of time, everything in this earth will be folded up like a piece of paper but what was written in the pages of the Bible will remain.

The English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop NT Wright recognised the importance of God’s Word in his life when he wrote, “The Bible is the book of my life. It’s the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by.”

Dear friends, do you feel that your life is meaningless? Are you living a life without purpose? What is God’s will and plan for your life?

You can find answers to these questions and more as you start reading the Bible today.