How Valuable is the Bible to Me?

I was completing a day of study in 2 Thessalonians, and I came across a story about William Tyndale. I began to imagine the cost and price he paid in order to make an English translation available to all of us who speak the English language. It cost him his reputation, livelihood, his homeland, and eventually his life.  His desire and passion for us to have the ability to read the words of God in our native language cost him everything. My thoughts ran to gratitude and thankfulness and then thoughts of how treasured this particular book ought to be to each of us. Have we really counted the cost and valued it?  Have I?????

Do we really treasure it, read it, meditate on it, seek it for its wisdom, and recognize the number of times in history it was not available. Would it matter to each of us if it no longer were available in our language.  If only an elect few could read it and tell us what they thought it was saying, or even tell us falsely what they wanted it to say.

People like Tyndale who took the original language and translated into English, Martin Luther, who translated the original into the German language, and John Wycliffe who translate the Latin Vulgate into English prior to Tyndale; who despite the establishment, hungered to offer up the authentic word of God to us so that we could remove all "go betweens" and have direct access to our Creator's words. He could become personal to each of us. It removed the layer of corruption and abuse of power over the masses. It also helped to thwart the use of "so called religion" in order to dictate behavior and make the masses of people behave.

• Have you ever wondered how long those in power throughout history have used God for their own power grabs and gain?

Only when we have authentic desire for Jesus, when we are fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit, when we are completely obedient to God's word, motivated and spurred on by His sacrifice; will we truly have personal biblical reform. Too often we seek the morals of Christianity for the sake of behavioral modification both in ourselves and even in others like our children, neighbors, or those in our authority or sphere.However, it is so much more than that. We stop so far short if we only seek to modify or control behavior. It is about relationship and connection to Almighty God. In seeking God in prayer, in daily life, reading the word etc., we learn about who He is and what He can do. We also learn about who we are, why we are here and what we are able to do both apart from Him and through Him. We are able to determine what we are measured against, by and to. If by the measures of the word, we come up short, we are not condemned if we are already in Christ, but it shows us how much we need to remain in Him and Him in us. The measurement of coming up short shows us that we are still not fully surrendered to Him. It is an indicator of where we are in proximity to God.

As we walk daily in obedience to the word, we are made right not by the act of obedience in the law but rather by faith - trusting and believing God's word by obeying it. Following the word as the actual voice of God, obeying it and using that voice of the word to live in us. When God uses us as His instrument, we are made right, holy and sanctified (set apart to good works and special use) by His use.  According to Philippians 3:9 we are found in Him not having a righteousness of our own from obeying the law but one that is through faith in Christ - the righteousness from God based on faith.

The word of God is the light of God. It is the revealer of truth. It is a depth I personally still cannot fathom as each passage reflects new insight and meaning from one year to the next. It is truly alive and active. It brings life as it is read and meditated upon.

Pursue it and it will never turn out to be a useless task. It brings life into our very soul. It is the breath of God breathing life into our dry bones. It is living water to our thirsty mouths and bread of life that nourishes our stomachs with truth. It provides the sustenance we need for true life.

Receive Jesus' gift of eternal life, pursue God by the Holy Spirit, read His word as if it could be ripped from your availability tomorrow, love His word, obey His word by faith.

• The word is Jesus. 
• In Genesis, God spoke all things into existence by using the Word. 
• In John, the Word was in the beginning, the Word was with God and was God, and the Word became flesh and lived among us. 
• Jesus said that He was the way, TRUTH and life. 
• The Word is TRUTH. 
• Therefore Jesus is the Word made flesh.  
• In Psalms, God sent the word to heal us. 
• In Revelation, part of the way we overcome our enemy is by the WORD of our testimony. The word of our testimony is the word being alive and active in our lives.

Would you think on the price that was paid for you to have the word of God so easily available to you and determine today to pursue it as the treasure that it is? Consider the VALUE!