Thankful For the Word of God

 Psalm 119:9-16

9 How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

10 With my whole heart I have sought You;

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

12 Blessed are You, O Lord!

Teach me Your statutes.

13 With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

“Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes!”  Those were the last words of a great man who risked his life and gave his all just so that we could have God’s Word in English.  Even while he was dying being strangled and then burned at a stake, William Tyndale, as Christ did, prayed for his executioners.  Years before a man named John Wycliffe who fought the erroneous teaching that only priests and monks should have access to God’s Word, narrowly escaped with his life due to dying of a stroke but his Oxford colleagues were burned alive just for taking a stand for the Scriptures. In fact, John Wycliffe’s stance was so strong that 40 years later, the Catholic Church in their heresy and evil at the time, dug up Wycliffe’s bones, burned them, and then threw them into the River Swift.

Why am I mentioning these men of great faith?  How often in our prayers or our thoughts do we thank God for giving us His Word.  Think about how precious your Bible is.  At a time really not that long ago, it was very difficult to have a Bible of your own.  Now, it is the best selling book of all time and is accessible in just about any way you can think of it.

How often are you reading it, studying it, and applying it to your life though.  God gave us and has preserved His Word to guide us in all things in life.  God worked through men and women such as those that I mentioned just to make sure we had His love letter.

Yes, you read that right.  His love letter.  The Bible is God’s love letter to man.  It cries out from amongst it’s pages that God is saying, “I love you.  I want to spend eternity with you.  I want to give you an abundant life and bless you as never before!”  

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

That word inspiration in verse 16 actually comes from the Greek word, “θεόπνευστος” or “theopneustos” transliterated into English.  That word means, “God-breathed”.  All Scripture is the very breath of God!  Isn’t that amazing.  It truly is God’s love letter to us that He has spoken with his very breath.

Hebrews 4:12 says,

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God’s Word is not only His love letter to us, but it’s living and powerful.  Even though His Word has been penned for thousands of years, it still rings true and has practical advice for everyday living.  It is both a comfort and it can be a sharp knife that cuts right through us.

In Matthew 4:4, in reply to Satan’s temptation, Jesus said,

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

God continues to give and give and give to our lives.  He promises to nourish us, sustain us, and provide all our needs.  The Word of God is one of those needs.

Now, in this time of thanksgiving, where again, we thank God for what He has given us, may I ask, “Where is your Bible right now?”   What is the condition of it?   Does it just sit on a tabletop until your ready to go to church?  Do you have to knock the dust off of it?  Are the pages still crisp like you just bought it?   

For those who daily read their Bibles may I ask, “When was the last time you thanked God for the Bible?” 

Think about how God has moved.  Think about what He has done just to make sure we have the Word of God and can glean from it every single day.  Think of men like Wycliffe and Tyndale who literally gave their all for the Word of God.

With Christmas coming up, are you thinking about giving gifts or donating to charity?  May I suggest purchasing Bibles for friends or giving to a Bible giving charity like the Gideons to help spread the Word of God.  

Let us be thankful this day for His very Word and remember that He is screaming from it’s pages, “I love you.”