CAN YOU NAME THE OLDEST BOOK THAT HAS REMAINED BASICALLY UNCHANGED?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.
(Psalm 119:89)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about what the world would be like without the
Bible? People who are discouraged with no hope would remain hopeless.
Sin would not be well defined and would run more rampant than it does
today. Those with no other person to turn to would not understand how
they can always turn to the Lord. People would have no conscience to
guide them.

Law and order would have no foundation. People would never have the
comfort and joy of knowing the Lord. Blessings from the Lord would be
assumed to be good luck. We could go on and on, but in summary we can
agree that the world we live in would be entirely different without the Bible.

Fortunately for us all, God’s Word does exist! The discovery of the Dead
Sea Scrolls in 1947 has been called the greatest archaeological find of the
20th century. The ancient manuscripts hidden in the caves near Qumran
are the oldest known copies of key Old Testament books.

In 2007, the San Diego Natural History Museum hosted an exhibition
featuring 24 of these scrolls. One often-repeated theme in the exhibit
was that during the past 2,000 years the text of the Hebrew Bible
(which is the Christian Old Testament) has remained virtually unchanged.

Followers of Jesus who believe the Bible is the eternal, unchanging Word
of God, understand that it is more than a coincidence that God’s Word
has remained remarkably preserved as an unchanged manuscript.
The psalmist wrote:
    “Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.
      Your faithfulness endures to all generations”
      (Psalm 119:89-90)
Jesus said:
    “My words will by no means pass away”
    (Matthew 24:35)

The Bible is more than a historical relic. It is the living, powerful Word
of God. It is where we encounter the Lord and discover how to live for
Him and honor Him. His Word is described in Hebrews:
    For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than
    any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
    soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts
    and attitudes of the heart.
    (Hebrews 4:12)

The psalmist concluded:
    “I will never forget Your precepts,
      for by them You have given me life”
      (Psalm 119:93)
What a privilege we have in being able to
seek God daily in His remarkable Word!

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Do I appreciate the fact that I have God’s Word available?
    – How often do I read the Bible?
    – Do I spend any time listening to those called by the Lord
       to help us achieve a better understanding of His Word?

If you are not reading the Bible frequently, then why not start today?
It has been said that it generally takes 21 days to establish a habit. Are
you willing to commit to reading God’s ‘love letters’ to mankind for
21 consecutive days? A good starting place is: The 5 chapters of 1 John.

The core theme of 1 John is ‘true fellowship with God’
and it includes the following:
    Assurance of Salvation:
        John wrote this letter so that believers can
        know with certainty they can have eternal life.

    God is Light and Love:
        Because God is light, believers must walk in moral purity and
        truth. Because God is love, His followers must demonstrate a
        sacrificial love for others.

    Truth vs. False Teaching:
        John warns his audience about ‘deceivers’ and ‘antichrists’ who
        deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. He emphasizes that true
        faith must rest firmly on the historical, incarnate Jesus.

    The Fruit of Righteousness:
        True fellowship with God inevitably results in transformed living.
        Those who belong to God will have a desire to live a new life of
        righteousness and avoid returning to sinful lifestyles of the past.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father thank You for providing us with Your Word,
and preserving it through many centuries. I can’t imagine what
it would be like to wake up one day and not being able to read
Your unchangeable Word. Thank You for the content of the
scriptures that show us how much You love everyone, and how
it is Your desire that not one would perish but have everlasting
life. My life would be miserable if I didn’t know of Your love
for me. Thank You for showing me how believers in the past
were committed to You and considered it a privilege to serve
You by pointing others to Jesus. Help me to set aside any of
my selfish desires and choose to follow in their footsteps.”

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