5 Books That Have Changed My Life- #1 The Bible

 

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light Unto my Path -Psalm 119:105 

                Saying that the Bible has changed my life is like saying that sunlight has changed my life.

There is no life without the sun, and for me, there is no life without the Word of God.  

It has changed everything. And not just in my life, but the lives of my parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. It is safe to say that I would not exist if not for the Bible.

A lot has been written about why the Bible is True, why it is historically accurate, why the current Biblical Canon is reliable and how the book came to be in its current form- if you have questions about any of those things, there are resources out there that will answer your questions. A good place to start is The Bible Questions by Hal Seed.

Many do not believe the Bible is True.

And often, upon respectful inquiry, I discover that many who claim not to believe the Bible have read very little of it. Sometimes their impressions of the Bible come from one or two confusing and bizarre Sunday School stories, or, something they saw on a “Christian” TV Show, or something they heard in the news. Or, most sadly, they don’t believe the Bible is true because of a parent or Christian leader who was untrustworthy. If that person who hurt them or betrayed them or destroyed their family or lied to them said the Bible was true, therefore, it must not be, because that person was not trustworthy.

I sympathize with this. My father and mother, who both believe in the truth of the Bible, are wonderful people- gracious, kind, honest, trustworthy Christians. This made my own faith journey that much easier. BUT I, like every Christian, had to reach the place where I determined for myself whether the Bible was True. My parents could not make that decision for me. 

For those who will not accept the Bible as Truth, I would like to say, “Read it first. Start with the Gospel of John, and don’t make your decision based on a bad person in your life. Make the decision for yourself.”

So what is it about the Bible that changes everything for those who embrace it?  

1.       It is Honest. The Bible contains no sugary-sweet lies about the “goodness of human nature” or “the happiness that we all deserve.” It tells a sordid tale of the perfect creation of God, destroyed by the sins of humans, and healed by the death of Jesus.  It explains this incredibly confusing world we live in in a way that no other thought system can adequately explain. How is it that nature is simultaneously beautiful AND trying to kill humans? How is it that people are simultaneously incredible creations of God AND deeply evil and capable of the worst atrocities? The Genesis account explains these things surprisingly logically, the Gospels of the New Testament explain how God made everything right again, and Revelation explains how He’s not done yet. Everything will be made new.   

2.       It is Redemptive. There is HOPE in the Bible- hope for your darkest hour. HOPE for concentration camp victims, HOPE for war-torn countries, HOPE for mothers who miscarry, HOPE for the lost, dying, despairing. Hope for sinners (no matter what you’ve done.) No matter what crisis you face, the Bible has HOPE for you. And, most importantly, it tells how your sins can be forgiven- Permanently wiped away, never to be seen again.

3.       It is Wise. When I don’t know what to do, the Bible is the first place to turn. It contains the wisdom of God Himself, who made us, who knows us inside and out. It is like a flashlight lighting my path in the darkness.

Nothing is as deep as the Bible. Not Shakespeare, not Tolstoy, not any of the best of the world’s literature- nothing compares to the depth, wisdom, and timelessness of this book.

Some personal things this book has done for me is: to give me hope in the middle of COVID quarantine, to help me remember the importance of focusing on the day-to-day needs of my family, and to teach me that my hope can only be in Jesus Christ, not in earthly institutions, people, or even churches. 

 Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:7 

Not everyone who reads this book believes it. But everyone who does believe it will never be the same again. 

How has the Bible changed your life?