Yes! There is Good News! 10.22.16

We finished the previous article by stating that the things in life that are valuable and worthwhile are the things we must work for. My friends and neighbors, the word of God is valuable, the word of God is worthwhile. There is nothing more beautiful than the things our creator wants to speak to us about. I can think of nothing more exciting than to be reading the scriptures and have my Father in Heaven reveal a nugget of truth to me.

Sometimes that piece of the truth is pure joy in my innermost being, but sometimes I am hurt or cut to the heart by it. But just as a loving father must correct his children in ways that seem to hurt, so the Heavenly Father corrects those who are His.

Our God is a faithful God. The scriptures tell us that all His ways are perfect. He alone knows that “big picture,” and all His intentions for us are nothing but good. A beautiful description of this is found in Hebrews 12:10, “our (Earthly) fathers disciplined us for a little while as they though best; God disciplines us for our own good, that we may share His holiness. Wow! I believe we would all accept His discipline in order to have His holiness imparted to us.

But where does this “pure joy” or this “correction” come from? Well, as has been said, it comes from our Heavenly Father. And how does He speak to us about these things? Well, in His word. For us, His word is found in the Bible. In Paul’s comments to his beloved friend Timothy, he states this - “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of ... how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every day work.”

Paul wrote this letter (2 Timothy) around 65 A.D., sometime before he was martyred. At this point in time the only scriptures that Paul could have had in mind were what we all the Old Testament, for none of the New Testament had been written as of yet. But look at what Paul says about these scriptures - they are able to make you wise for salvation. They are useful for teaching, etc. You and I, today, have the amazing ability to purchase a Bible with both of these testaments for a very small price. Perhaps you have a couple of copies in your home now. This access to the Word of God today is abundantly easy and inexpensive. This has not always been so. Several centuries ago, many people had to suffer torture and martyrdom so as to insure future generations (like ours) might have access to the Bible. And we don’t take the time to read it? Shame on us!

There is so much more about this to be said.