"Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered." (Ex 17:14)
There is an important reason why God gave us the written Scriptures and why he commands us to meditate on it day and night. If you're a normal person with a lot going on in your life, you know the reason all to well: we forget! It's as simple as that. To a large extent, we are what we remember. What we retain influences who we become. The more of God's word we put to memory, the more his truth will be a light to our path. The same is true of entire societies. All nations descend from a common source and started out with the same information. Yet today, thousands of peoples have only a vague understanding of who God is. After centuries of oral traditions, the stories of creation, the fall and the flood--while still remembered in many thousands of cultures--have largely become corrupted. Thankfully God entrusted his word to a people who passed the written record down from one generation to the next. It wasn't always easy. There were times when only a small remnant remained that cherished the Scriptures. When we hold the Bible in our hands, we have to appreciate the miracle of it all. In itself, the Bible is a sign of God's grace. It is a reminder that in every generation he has had faithful people who cared about his missional purpose. What a privilege to be counted in that company. We are part of a long succession of witnesses who kept the faith and passed the torch. Today, because of that enduring commitment there are billions of copies of God's word in thousands of languages. Though our work is not yet finished, we can see the finishline getting closer. Missionaries estimate that in the next ten years there will be portions of Scripture in every language on earth.
Heavenly Father, may your word accomplish its purpose in our lives and have the final say in human history.
#lastchapter
There is an important reason why God gave us the written Scriptures and why he commands us to meditate on it day and night. If you're a normal person with a lot going on in your life, you know the reason all to well: we forget! It's as simple as that. To a large extent, we are what we remember. What we retain influences who we become. The more of God's word we put to memory, the more his truth will be a light to our path. The same is true of entire societies. All nations descend from a common source and started out with the same information. Yet today, thousands of peoples have only a vague understanding of who God is. After centuries of oral traditions, the stories of creation, the fall and the flood--while still remembered in many thousands of cultures--have largely become corrupted. Thankfully God entrusted his word to a people who passed the written record down from one generation to the next. It wasn't always easy. There were times when only a small remnant remained that cherished the Scriptures. When we hold the Bible in our hands, we have to appreciate the miracle of it all. In itself, the Bible is a sign of God's grace. It is a reminder that in every generation he has had faithful people who cared about his missional purpose. What a privilege to be counted in that company. We are part of a long succession of witnesses who kept the faith and passed the torch. Today, because of that enduring commitment there are billions of copies of God's word in thousands of languages. Though our work is not yet finished, we can see the finishline getting closer. Missionaries estimate that in the next ten years there will be portions of Scripture in every language on earth.
Heavenly Father, may your word accomplish its purpose in our lives and have the final say in human history.
#lastchapter