By: Rex Stump
Recently I have become more aware of a power that has been made available to me. A tool that can change my life. A resource to make me wise. A source to strengthen my whole being.
I’ve known it to be true my whole life, and yet I have not fully appreciated or valued its availability. It is The Word of God.
The Bible is one of the most controversial books to ever exist! And yet, withstanding the test of time, it’s at the top of best-seller books.
The Bible is debated and trashed by some, agreed upon and treasured by others. Some are confused and refuse to open it.
Others grasp it, looking for hope. Some have taken the content, twisted, and perverted it. They claim its false, faulty, or old-fashioned. While others place it on billboards, t-shirts, pillows, cups, and wall-hangings. Regardless of what mankind has done or thinks of it…you can’t change its foundational truths, nor decrease its power.
All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is an absolute requirement for those things we affirm and believe to be true.
It brings conviction into our lives. It can take anyone, including those who have been knocked down in life, and it can set them back up on their feet again. It will fully equip them to successfully live life by a higher standard that leads to upright, godly living.
In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, God instructed Moses and a new nation that as they entered a new stage in their life, they were to hear and obey God’s command.
In doing so they would see success. God’s Word was to be in the heart of every man and woman, repeated and taught to their children, the next generation.
This great commandment should be a topic of conversation and should always be prominent, at home, on the road, in the dining room, living room, bedroom…
A few thousand years later, the Word became flesh and took up residence among us!
Athletes have playbooks. Schools have textbooks. Businesses have manuals of operation. We have the Bible. Do you read it, study, and memorize it? Do you obey it?
It is said that when the famous missionary, Dr. David Livingstone, started his trek across Africa he had 73 books in 3 packs, weighing 180 pounds.
After the party went 300 miles, Livingstone was obliged to throw away some of the books because of the fatigue of those carrying his baggage. As he continued his journey, his library grew less and less, until he had but one book left… his Bible.
What are you carrying with you to read? What is your number one resource for living? What is your plan for reading and understanding it? Stay focused, stay faithful!
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.