- The Priceless Word of God -

[Abednego+2]

Psalm 119:27-29, 33-34, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. Teach me, LORD the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart”
__________

What has had the most influence in your life?  I would venture to say the majority of people in today’s society would be influenced by movie stars, professional athletes, television hosts and books written by various authors to name only a few. Have you even considered that we have at our very disposal the written Word of Life given to us by its author and our creator God? 

(1) Loren D. Esthleman said this about the Bible, “Lay chosen faith aside and read this beautifully written book.” 
(2) Madeleine L’ Engle Franklin added, “It is the foundation stone of the English language.”
(3) John Jakes urged people to read the Bible “for the magic, and the possibilities, of its English.”

Although these writers had some high praise for God’s Word, their endorsement isn’t the reason we should read His Book. The Bible merits our attention because it is God’s breathed and inspired Word of Truth and He has preserved it for us. My beloved, the God who created you and me, has given us His Book, and we need to make it our Book. By reading it, pouring over it, meditating on it, and putting into practice what it says, then we begin to know God Himself, and in the process, we fulfill for ourselves the psalmist’s quest, “I have sought Your precepts … I have seen the consummation of all perfection.”

It is the only Book that speaks of earthly things and human experiences (good and bad).  It also describes with clarity and authority areas of heaven and earth, things seen and unseen; revealing facts about God, angels, men, time and eternity, life and death; of sin; of heaven and hell. More importantly we find within its pages everything we need to know to receive salvation and have a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul declared in 2 Timothy 3:16 it "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness".  It has been stated that people devote more time to learning about the Bible than in discovering its message.  After 30 years as a pastor, a New Jersey minister concluded, "The Bible is the best-selling, least-read, and least-understood book."  In his view, "Biblical illiteracy is rampant."  George Gallup, the foremost religion pollster in the United States agrees.  "We revere the Bible," he says, "but we don't read it."  We should be more like the psalmist who asked God to help him understand the way of His precepts and to increase his knowledge of God and His will. 

As a believer in Jesus Christ that should be your foremost desire.  We should prayerfully study the Scriptures to discover what God is saying to us through His Word about Himself and especially His plan for our lives. 1 Samuel 3:10 puts it this way, "Speak, for Your servant hears."  We need to be like Samuel, willing to pause in the midst of life's turmoil to hear the still voice of the Lord, and we will have this opportunity if we prayerfully read and study the Bible regularly.  You see, God's Spirit communicates to us through the precious and eternal Word of God.
 __________

Further Reflection:

The believe the greatest cause for our neglect of the Bible is not lack of time but lack of heart.  Someone else's word is taking the place of the Word of God.  There are many good books and magazines to read; however, we must not neglect the mysteries of God's mercy, His grace and His love that are woven throughout the His Eternal Word that will change a person’s heart and life forever. I can attest to fact, the Bible, God's written Word, changes lives.  It changed my life when I accepted His Son Jesus Christ as my Savior; and you know what; if you want such a change in your life, receive Jesus Christ as your Savior.  It’s only a prayer away!  Then ask God to give you a desire and hunger  for His Word and a hunger to taste His grace and goodness each and every day.

My beloved, it’s the only Book that will bless you while you're still in this world, and will show you that through faith in Jesus Christ you can be sure of eternal blessedness in God’s eternal kingdom.  Thomas A. Kempis (1379-1471) summed it up well when he wrote, "Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not for the voice sounding without, but for the truth teaching inwardly.  Blessed are the eyes that are shut to outward things but intent on things inward.  Blessed are they who are glad to have time to spare for God, and who shake off all worldly hindrances.  Consider these things, O my soul, and hear when the Lord your God speaks."
__________

Closing thoughts:

For those who aren’t saved, what are your reasons for living?  The way you live reveals your real reason for living. Actions really do speak louder than words. Take a look at your life and evaluate where your energies are being spent. Are you living to have fun? Get smart? Work hard? Love people? Please God? Do your responses to the following questions support your answers above? How do you spend your time? Do you know God’s Word? Are you living in obedience to God? If not, why not? To what are you looking for satisfaction? What are you doing that has eternal benefits? If these questions make you uncomfortable, maybe you need to recognize the waste of living for anything less than God’s intended purpose.

If you’ve never taken the first crucial step of trusting Jesus Christ to rescue you from God’s judgment against sin, accept His offer of forgiveness right now. He will forgive, and He will give you a new heart and a new purpose and reason for living (John 3:16; Romans 5:8 ). Ask Him to help you make the most of the new life He’s given you. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

For those who have been saved by the precious blood of Christ, how long has it been since you've asked the Lord to make your heart receptive to His Word?  He longs to hear you say, “Speak Lord, I’m listening.”
__________

God’s love is both tough and tender.

[Oseas]

Psalm 119:27-29, 33-34, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. Teach me, LORD the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart”
__________

What has had the most influence in your life?  I would venture to say the majority of people in today’s society would be influenced by movie stars, professional athletes, television hosts and books written by various authors to name only a few. Have you even considered that we have at our very disposal the written Word of Life given to us by its author and our creator God? 

Honestly, what has the most influence in my life is the Word of GOD. The Word is GOD, for me it's a great mystery. The Word is from everlasting to everlasting time. The Word is GOD, the invisible GOD; GOD has not beginning, nor ending, JESUS is the beginning and the ending. JESUS is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith JESUS the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

[RandyPNW]

Psalm 119:27-29, 33-34, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. Teach me, LORD the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart”
__________

What has had the most influence in your life?  I would venture to say the majority of people in today’s society would be influenced by movie stars, professional athletes, television hosts and books written by various authors to name only a few. Have you even considered that we have at our very disposal the written Word of Life given to us by its author and our creator God? 

Honestly, what has the most influence in my life is the Word of GOD. The Word is GOD, for me it's a great mystery. The Word is from everlasting to everlasting time. The Word is GOD, the invisible GOD; GOD has not beginning, nor ending, JESUS is the beginning and the ending. JESUS is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith JESUS the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The Word of God also is a big thing with me. Our pastor preached on the subject of the Word of God last Sunday, and I began my personal journey following God with Watchman Nee's teaching on the Word of God.

The Word of God is God's means of communicating with His creatures. And it is also His means of creating. Yes, the Word of God is God Himself in the mode of creating and in the mode of communicating. It is His self-expression.

Loving His Word is to love Him, and to love obeying Him, and making Him happy. It is the most beautiful way of returning to our Maker what we owe Him and what is due Him. We should all pray for a great love for God's Word, just as David expressed in Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the Bible and a continuous expression of adoration for God's Word.

[RabbiKnife]

We do need to be careful in differentiating between "The WORD," who is Jesus, the Word became flesh, and the written word of God.

They are not the same.  One is the substance and essence, the other is the written revelation.

As marvelous and perfect as the written word it, the living Word in the person of Jesus is exponentially superior, having no equal.

Reading the Bible, and meditating on it, and knowing it, is not the same as knowing Jesus.
After all, Satan can quote [and misquote] the entire thing (or at least that is the implication in scripture), verse by verse.

[Oseas]

There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word-the Word made flesh- and the Holy Spirit (who is not a ghost as is written in English language, but a person-John 16:v.7to15): and these three are One.

The Person of GOD is much much more than we can express in our own words. There is not any other source to give a true testimony of the person of GOD than His own Word, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, the Word is GOD.

When I take the Lord's book, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, and read it, I begin a personal spiritual dialogue with the invisible Most High and Almighty God, father of our Lord JESUS ​​Christ, and He reveals his secrets and helps to understand them; this personal contact with GOD generates a rapturous environment, the heaven open itself as a curtain (heaven? Ephesians 1:v.3-14 and Philippians 3:v.20-21), in fact He opens the understanding for the interpretation of His Word. God is Spirit. God is Light. God is Truth. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, God is the Creator of all things and He is much much more than we can express in our own words. I repeat: There is not any other source to give a true testimony of the Person of GOD than His own Word, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, the Word is GOD. Check it in Hebrews 1:v.1-3 and henceforwards.

To know God in the beauty of His Holiness, in the greatness of His Power and of His Majesty, this is only possible through our Lord JESUS ​​Christ, it is a mystery, yes, great is this mystery of the invisible God, which no man has seen. To see God or the image of God, this is only possible if we look and see JESUS: Col.1:v.15- Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. John 14:v.7-9 - 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.
8 Philip saith unto JESUS, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto Philip, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

May our Lord GOD bless us and give us His protection
Amen

1Tim.1:v.17 - Now unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only Wise GOD, be Honour and Glory for ever and ever. Amen.

[Oseas]

Psalm 119:27-29, 33-34, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. Teach me, LORD the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart”
__________

What has had the most influence in your life?  I would venture to say the majority of people in today’s society would be influenced by movie stars, professional athletes, television hosts and books written by various authors to name only a few. Have you even considered that we have at our very disposal the written Word of Life given to us by its author and our creator God? 

Honestly, what has the most influence in my life is the Word of GOD. The Word is GOD, for me it's a great mystery. The Word is from everlasting to everlasting time. The Word is GOD, the invisible GOD; GOD has not beginning, nor ending, JESUS is the beginning and the ending. JESUS is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith JESUS the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The Word of God also is a big thing with me. Our pastor preached on the subject of the Word of God last Sunday, and I began my personal journey following God with Watchman Nee's teaching on the Word of God.

The Word of God is God's means of communicating with His creatures. And it is also His means of creating. Yes, the Word of God is God Himself in the mode of creating and in the mode of communicating. It is His self-expression.

Loving His Word is to love Him, and to love obeying Him, and making Him happy. It is the most beautiful way of returning to our Maker what we owe Him and what is due Him. We should all pray for a great love for God's Word, just as David expressed in Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the Bible and a continuous expression of adoration for God's Word.

The expression - the Word is God - is of unfathomable depth. For our understanding the Holy Spirit thus expressed Himself through the Apostle John, saying:John 1:v.1-5 (combined with Hebrews 1:v.1-6):
1 In the beginning-- i.e. in JESUS, the Word made flesh-- was the Word,  and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning--in JESUS--with God.
3 All things were made by Him--by JESUS--; and without him--without JESUS-- was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him--in JESUS-- was life; and the life was the light of men.

Hebrews 1:1 to 6
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days (last two days or 2.000 years) spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Acts 4:v.11-12
"11 JESUS is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." -- Except JESUS's name. --

In Christ JESUS, KING of kings (kings made by Him-Revelation 5:v.10), and LORD of lords