Dear Saints and Friends,
​When we were younger, hospitality seemed to be natural for many people, including our mother. One time she invited some new neighbors over for dinner.
In the midst of preparing the meal, she found that she was missing a key ingredient for her special dessert. She needed to go into town and buy it right away. Mother told me, “Continue to prepare the dinner and I will return soon.”
‘Yes mother!’ I said with enthusiasm. I, too, wanted to make friends with our new neighbors. There would be kids my age to play with now.
​As the vegetables baked with the roast, I knew it was almost time to put the marshmallow cinnamon sweet potatoes in the oven. But I realized I did not know how much cinnamon to put on them. What was I going to do? ‘Yes!’ I said to myself. I knew where mother kept that recipe. When you don’t know how much cinnamon, sugar, garlic, or other ingredient to add, checking the recipe is always a good idea for the best outcome.
Having a sure reference in uncertain times is so very important for everyone. And no one has a more sure reference than the child of God. In His Word, the Bible, God has given us instructions for life, death, and beyond. That is one of the many reasons why the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. There are more than five billion copies in print, translated into hundreds of languages. The Bible offers every person, everything we need to know to live our best life now. And it reveals a much greater life to come. The Bible is much more than a handbook on how to live your life. The Bible is a supernatural book. God used over 40 people to write the Bible. And it was not written at a weekend writing conference. God wrote His Book for us over a period of 1,500 years. The original writings were in three different languages and written on three different continents. God used kings, fishermen, doctors, tentmakers, shepherds, and others to bring His Word to us. Because God is eternal, He tells us how everything we know came to be in existence, where we came from, why things in this world are the way they are. God even tells us what is going to happen in the future. One of the ways we know this is true, is that many of the events He has revealed beforehand have taken place. And no doubt, the rest will surely come to pass, as well.
​Another factor helping us to trust the Bible is its miraculous endurance. No other book has faced such opposition. The Bible has withstood the attempts of kings, dictators, and whole societies to abolish it. It has been burned and banned, and attempts to bury it with the faded writings of the past have been made many times over the centuries. In some countries, it is against the law to own a Bible. Its words contain a hope not found in any other religious writing. The Word of God has transformed the lives of millions of people. The Bible promises what no other book does: life, hope, and purpose as a gift from Almighty God. The Bible has had a life-changing impact for thousands of years in millions of lives. In the days in which we live, it is very comforting to have God’s promises to trust in: ‘Come to Me and I will give you rest.’ Matthew. 11:28 ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.’ Psalm. 46:1-2
‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.’ Psalm. 23:4,6
​God tells us that, on our own, we can not have the best life possible now. But Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 ‘Life’ refers to eternal life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of a quality of life. With Jesus, life on earth can reach a much higher quality, and then in heaven, it will be perfect and complete.
​Are you lacking the key ingredient to make your life superb? The recipe is in the Bible. Give your life to Jesus. He will wash you of your sin, wrap you in His love, and welcome you home to Heaven on that very special day. That’s His promise and His desire for you. You can tell Him: ‘Jesus, Thank You for paying for my sins when You died for them and rose again. Wash me and wrap me in Your love, and help me to live my best life now for You. In Your name I pray, Amen.’