June 8, 2004
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2004 8:42 pm
God's Word
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Psalm 119:11
We have a tendency to view the reading, memorization, and application of God's Word as a chore. However, if it has truly impacted our lives, should it not be a priority to instead delight in it?
Noted Bible teacher E. Schuyler English told of Michael Billester, a Bible distributor who visited a small hamlet in Poland shortly before World War II. Billester gave a Bible to a villager, who was converted by reading it. The new believer then passed the Book on to others. The cycle of conversions and sharing continued until 200 people had become believers through that one Bible. When Billeser returned in 1940, this group of Christians met together for a worship service in which he was to preach the Word. He normally asked for testimonies, but this time he suggested that several in the audience recite verses of Scripture. One man stood and said, "Perhaps we have misunderstood. Did you mean verses or chapters?" These villagers had not memorized a few select verses of the Bible but whole chapters and books. Thirteen people knew Matthew, Luke, and half of Genesis. Another person had committed to memory the Psalms. That single copy of the Bible given by Billester had done its work. Transformed lives bore witness to the power of the Word.
Is the Word of God so precious to you that you would devote the time needed for it to be evident in your life?
Prayer: Ask God to open your eyes and heart to the great truths found in His Word.
"Born to be battered...the loving phone call book. Underline it, circle things, write in the margins, turn down page corners, the more you use it, the more valuable it gets to be."
~Ad in South Central Bell Telephone Company Yellow Pages.
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Psalm 119:11
We have a tendency to view the reading, memorization, and application of God's Word as a chore. However, if it has truly impacted our lives, should it not be a priority to instead delight in it?
Noted Bible teacher E. Schuyler English told of Michael Billester, a Bible distributor who visited a small hamlet in Poland shortly before World War II. Billester gave a Bible to a villager, who was converted by reading it. The new believer then passed the Book on to others. The cycle of conversions and sharing continued until 200 people had become believers through that one Bible. When Billeser returned in 1940, this group of Christians met together for a worship service in which he was to preach the Word. He normally asked for testimonies, but this time he suggested that several in the audience recite verses of Scripture. One man stood and said, "Perhaps we have misunderstood. Did you mean verses or chapters?" These villagers had not memorized a few select verses of the Bible but whole chapters and books. Thirteen people knew Matthew, Luke, and half of Genesis. Another person had committed to memory the Psalms. That single copy of the Bible given by Billester had done its work. Transformed lives bore witness to the power of the Word.
Is the Word of God so precious to you that you would devote the time needed for it to be evident in your life?
Prayer: Ask God to open your eyes and heart to the great truths found in His Word.
"Born to be battered...the loving phone call book. Underline it, circle things, write in the margins, turn down page corners, the more you use it, the more valuable it gets to be."
~Ad in South Central Bell Telephone Company Yellow Pages.