DO YOU READ YOUR BIBLE?
Thus says the Lord,... ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16
Standing in an ancient Chinese temple, now a temple of the people in Canton, we listened to our guide tell how the Chinese people had been liberated from old religious beliefs. A young Chinese man studying at the university approached one in our group to try out his English. He spoke pleasantly for a few minutes in broad generalities, and then asked, "Do you have a Bible?"
The man replied, "Not with me, but I have one at home. "Do you read it?" asked the young Chinese. The man said, "No, not much, but it's there." Puzzled, the young man queried, "If you have a Bible, why do you not read it?"
This was no set-up political interrogation, but the searching of a young man who had been denied religious freedom all his life. He could not understand how someone could possess a Bible and not read it, let alone study or memorize it.
The Bible tells us that just as there are physical laws that govern the universe, there are spiritual laws that govern our relationship with God. It tells you how to become a Christian, how to learn to pray so that your prayers are answered, how to live a life that is above the carnal tug of sensual lust, how to find peace of mind and the assurance that your sins are forgiven.
The tourist who was approached by the Chinese youth possesseda Bible, but neither it nor its leading character had ever possessed him. You may be thinking, "The Bible just doesn't make sense to me." Then I'd like to suggest that you begin by meeting the author, for only then will His Book open up to you. Scores of people have told me once they received Jesus as their personal Savior, the Bible came alive for them. "A natural man," wrote Paul, "does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Cor. 2:14). That's the difference. Do not just possess a Bible; let it possess you.
Source: 365 Guidelines for Daily Living by Dr. Harold J. Sala.
