Life is full of surprises, isn’t it? Some are encouraging and others aren’t. As we read God’s Word, we see that the people of Israel turned to idols many times. In the New Testament, Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him. They all were deeply grieved when they heard their Master say this. After Jesus announced that all of the disciples would “fall away because of Me this night,” Simon Peter said to Him “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:31, 33). Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7 to His disciples after telling them that they would fall away. One of the ways that believers can remain close to the Lord is to know His Word.
In the April 2024 edition of “Turning Points” magazine & devotional, Dr. David Jeremiah writes: “Sadly, many people today put the Bible into the ‘irrelevant’ category: interesting and worth preserving for historical reasons but not for practical purposes. Its literary beauty, historical records, and even some of its moral teachings are said to be commendable. But is a book written some two thousand years ago really relevant in the twenty-first century? Many people consider the Bible to be the literary equivalent of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. – often referred to as ‘America’s attic’ – filled with artifacts from the past no longer in use today.”
Karen and I visited the Smithsonian Institution and other historic places in 1981, on our honeymoon. You might think “That’s a strange place to go on your honeymoon.” Well, we enjoyed learning about some of the history of our neighbour to the south, never imagining that two of our daughters would one day move to the U.S.
In recent days, dandelions have been popping up all over the place. Their bright yellow colour looks nice, but when you think about what these weeds represent – hindering grass from growing – it is an illustration of what the first humans experienced in the Garden of Eden.
Dr. Jeremiah continues: “No one is more eager to promote the ‘irrelevancy’ of the Bible than Satan. If we think of the Bible as the Word of God (and it is), we find plenty of examples in Scripture of Satan trying to convince people that God’s words are irrelevant in their time and place.
It started in the Garden of Eden: ‘Has God indeed said …?’ (Genesis 3:1). It continued with Satan accusing Job of unfaithfulness (Job 2:1-5), and Satan sending a lying spirit to prophesy to King Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:20-23). Satan enticed King David to take pride in the size of his kingdom (1 Chronicles 21:1) and falsely accused the high priest, Joshua (Zechariah 3:1-2). He also manipulated God’s Word in an attempt to get Jesus to sin (Matthew 4:1-11) and motivated Judas to sin against Jesus (John 13:27).”
There is a quote that is attributed to Dwight L. Moody: “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” By God’s grace, let’s determine to study His Word and share it with others.
Scripture for the weekend: “Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” John 8:31-32 (NASB)
By His grace,
Steve