Bible Content

   I walked into a Christian Book Store and witnessed the multitude of Christian literature and it became clear to me that if someone would read all these books written about God's word and not the Bible itself, they would certainly lack the pure understanding that He wants each of us to have. Whether these endless quantity of books are presented in a simple or complex form, I suspect the sure result would be confusion, because man's words vary, being based on man's opinions of what God has already stated perfectly, after being filtered through the minds of flawed men. But if we read just the Bible, one close to the original text, and seek to receive God’s blessings of understanding, our understanding of God's messages would certainly be more accurate, compelling and complete, because His Christ may reveal it to us by His spirit. We must bare in mind one simple fact, all these other books are a generation away from what the spirit of Christ has shared to the Bible writers, knowing that they are well short of perfect. God's word is the only sure connection to the truth, more then any sermon, book, article or communication with another person. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, sermons and books can have their value, but they can’t replace, improve or clarify God’s direct word. When the Bible is frequently visited and seriously considered, clarity and understanding will be continually increased, for God is waiting to share all that you can handle, if its received and cherished as truth, revealing His character and instructions. Sermons can often be more inspirational and move the soul, where the Bible is more educational and instructional, which was designed to be used for guidance and for the correct following of God’s expressed purposes. Reading the Bible connects the reader to God, where a sermon tends to connect the viewer/listener more to the speaker because of the audio and the visual presence; because of this effect on the viewer, a good sermon can be lost by a poor speaker, or an incorrect sermon can be accepted as truth by a powerful presentation or a personable speaker. Most sermons are generally not investigated by the listener, because few take the time to jot down the supporting text or little interest in researching the topic presented. A list of all verses used in a sermon (assuming the sermon is planned out) would be helpful if listed in the church bulletin, more would use this information since it is already available and can also remind the listener of its content at a later time, man tends to forget much of each sermon one hears.

    When our motivation is seeking the truth, God blesses the people who spend time reading, searching and studying His word, which reveals to Him our dedication and He rewards us with understanding and wisdom. It may be difficult for some to accept this but our education or our intelligence has little to do with whom God blesses with clarity and correct understanding of His concepts and truths. Unfortunately, the statistics on the amount people read the Bible is low, and this has been confirmed to me when talking with people about how much they read the actual Bible. Most churchgoers think they read a fair amount, but they tend to include books “about” the Bible as reading the Bible, which, certainly does not qualify. I can’t say if this is acceptable to God, if we have the real Book and choose to read something that is filtered through man, you’ll need to discuss that with Jehovah in your prayers. I’ve found that few have ever read the Bible in its entirety, but secular books are usually read from front to back, even religious books about the Bible are almost always completed. Wouldn’t it be more important to finish the original and leave some of the other books incompletely read? Of course this task takes time and a personal commitment, but the rewards are far beyond the efforts spent. To reach the truth is worth any and all effort because anything other then the truth is a waste of time, even dangerous. If you hear a sermon and fail to investigate the subject, can you be certain that it is the truth and Biblically sound as God intended?

    God’s judgments are based on what Jehovah gave to His Son to give to the Bible writers so the each person has enough of God's information to make a choice for life, We are to seek the Bible's contents and not to rely on any or all the sermons, books or video presentations. Too many Christians assume that the speaker has done a complete study of the subject, but if you investigate the subject for yourself in God's word, you might find some discrepancies, or better yet find further support on the topic, either case, you will be more sure and versed on the subject and more committed and inspired to share the message with others that didn’t have the benefit of hearing that particular sermon.

   The message forever is, "read the Bible" for yourself to receive the blessing of needed understanding that God is anxious to share with you, and any doubt you may harbor will soon be replaced with a brighter light. A daily time dedicated for reading the Bible, accompanied with prayer, reveals to Him our interest and commitment, plus it develops a good pattern, We now have the ability and the tools to search this precious Book (Bible), unlike a few hundred years ago. We are a blessed generation with access to much information; we should use this advantage for studying these most important things, then we should be equipped to spot the errors that circulate in the many churches, which we were warned about in the New Testament. Because of our general Laodicean (luke-warm) attitude about studying from the source of truth, this indicates to me that we are truly near the end of time, and we should be studying harder, even feverishly, even if the end isn’t as soon as we might expect or desire, each of us have a personal end, whenever that is, we won’t know until its too late! We have no control over the first death (a sleep, because we will all be resurrected), when or how, but we do have control over the second death, halleluiah! That is determined by the many the decisions we all personally need to make, in follow our Sheppard, Jesus, sent by God Jehovah for us to seek righteousness, then learning of what His righteousness is, and committing to adjusting our character to align with His; acquiring a correct understanding of God's word, which is worthy for us and the people around us; to bring this collection of understandings into our heart and to regulate our actions to be a benefit and a blessing to everyone around us. To ignore this responsibility could be for us to forfeit the promised blessings God is waiting to share with all who seek Him. This is accomplished by following Christ on the straight and narrow path, homeward bound to God’s Kingdom. And we should desire to share with others the joy from knowing, understanding and doing Jehovah God's word and its long-term many benefits. "The meek shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Jehovah shall praise Him; your heart shall live forever." (Psalm 22:26), "The humble who seek God, your heart shall live." (Psalm 69:32), "Blessed are those keeping His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart." (Psalm 119:2), "And you shall seek and find Me, when you search with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13), "Seek Jehovah, all the meek of the earth who have done His justice; seek righteousness; seek meekness. It may be you shall be hidden in the day of the anger of Jehovah." (Zephaniah 2:3), and from the New Testament, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." (Ephesians 1:17) and, "But without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out." (Hebrew 11:6).

   The second death, the everlasting death is for those who care not to seek Jehovah and the truth of His perfect way; righteousness is for each one of us to pursue Jehovah's truth now. The contents of the Bible are directed to each of us personally, and for us directly; it is about us and for our benefit and our salvation. Read all of God's word and reap the glorious benefits of understanding the truth. Praise Jehovah and His only-begotten Son Jesus, the time is now, therefore, every decision we make and execute is evaluated by the Almighty Judge, based totally on the words He gave us through His Son.

   The Bible message is from Genesis to Revelation. There is a purpose for every book in the Bible and it is for us to search for its necessity. The rewards are within the searching actions we exercise, but must be accompanied with prayer to the Almighty, asking for understanding. God Jehovah desires our attention, our interest and our love. Love is God's character and His makeup, "And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God, and God in him." (I John 4:16). Jehovah God has already displayed His love for us in abundance, beyond our complete awareness and understanding. The life we live is an expression of Jehovah's love; every breath is a gift. The world we walk on is a blessing from Jehovah; the food we eat is part of that world He gave us. There is so much more to come in the Kingdom of God, beyond our imagination, the home for those who seek our God.