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COMMUNION WITH GOD: WORD 1. When he had become one of the country's greatest merchants,
John Wanamaker once said, "In my
lifetime, I have made many purchases. I have bought things
which have
cost me thousands
of dollars . But the greatest purchase I ever made was when
I was a boy twelve years old. Then I bought a Bible for two
dollars and fifty cents. That was my greatest purchase, for
that Bible made me what I am today." 2. A noted orator asked Dickens for the most pathetic story in literature, and he said it was that of the prodigal son. Mr. Coleridge was asked for the richest passage in literature, and he said it was the first sixteen verses in the fifth chapter or Matthew. Another asked Daniel Webster for the greatest legal digest, and he replied that it was the Sermon on the Mount. No one has equaled Moses for law, nor David for poetry, nor Isaiah for visions, nor Jesus for ethics, nor Peter for holy zeal, nor Apollos for fiery oratory, nor Paul for logic, nor John's statements of sanctified love. What a ridiculous statement that to study the Bible "marks a step backward in education!" God's Word is the very greatest of all books, and its Author is the very greatest of all teachers. We do well to stay close to its pages. It is the Book. 3. LORD, Thy Word abideth, When our foes are near us, When the storms are o'er us, Who can tell the pleasure, Word of mercy, giving Oh, that we discerning 4. A learned Chinese was employed by some missionaries to translate the New Testament into Chinese. At first the work of translating had no effect upon the scholarly Chinese. But after some time he became quite agitated & said, "What a wonderful book this is!" "Why so?" said the missionary. "Because," said the man, "it tells so exactly about myself. It knows all that is in me. The One Who made this book must have made me!" 5. The Bible sure throws a lot of light on the Bible commentaries. 6. J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the great China Inland Mission, was Converted through reading a little tract in his father's library when he was fifteen years old. Carelessly, he picked it up to while away the time, but, eighty miles away, his mother was praying for his salvation. Before he laid it down, he was rejoicing in the knowledge of sins forgiven! When we think of the stupendous work of the mission he founded, we marvel that God should have used such a little thing to bring it all about! 7. The fact that the Standard Oil Company discovered oil and
is operating wells in Egypt is generally known but the reason
for its going to that ancient land to look for oil is probably
not so well-known. 8. A minister recently sent a number of books, among them a copy of the New Testament, to be rebound. He was surprised on the return of the books to find on the backbone of the New Testament a label in gilt letters, "T.N.T." There was no room to spell out "The New Testament", so the bookbinder inscribed merely "T.N.T.", the first letters of the three words. Not a bad name for the New Testament! It is T.N.T.--it is spiritual dynamite! 9. The reason people are down on the Bible is that they're not up on the Bible! 10. Twenty years after Adoniram Judson reached Burma the New
Testament was translated into the Burmese tongue. In 1824, when
war was waged between England and Burma, Mr. Judson was thrown
into prison, and Mrs. Judson buried the precious manuscript,
just ready for the printer, in the earth beneath their house.
But as mold was gathering upon it, on account of the dampness
caused by heavy rains, with a woman's ready wit, she sewed the
treasure inside a roll of cotton, put on a cover and took it
to the jail to be used by Mr. Judson as a pillow. 11. Dr. S. D. Gordon tells of an old Christian woman whose age began to tell on her memory. She had once known much of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious bit stayed with her. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." By and by part of that slipped its hold, and she would quietly repeat, "That which I have committed unto him." At last, as she hovered on the borderline between this and the spirit world, her loved ones noticed her lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over again to herself the one word of the text, "Him, Him, Him." She had lost the whole Bible, but one word. But she had the whole Bible in that one word. 12. Walter F. Burke, general manager of Project Mercury & Gemini, & vice president of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, teaches Sunday school in his church. In an interview he declared: "I have found nothing in science or space exploration to compel me to throw away my Bible or to reject my Saviour, Jesus Christ, in Whom I trust. The space age has been a factor in the deepening of my own spiritual life. I read the Bible more now. I get from the Bible what I cannot get from science--the really important things of life." 13. There are two dominant themes in the Bible: the one is the story of man's seduction by sin; the other, man's salvation by Christ. 14. As God is the only holy person, so Scripture is the only holy book. 15. The Bible is not only the book of God but also the God of books. 16. Sin will keep you from this Book or this Book will keep you from sin.--John Bunyan 17. If the Word is to get into us we must get into the Word. 18. I never saw a useful Christian who wasn't a student of the Word. 19. The Spirit is not given to make Bible study needless, but to make it effective. 20. If I were the Devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible. 21. God's promises are like life preservers. They keep the soul from sinking in the sea of trouble. 22. The Lord prepares a table for His children, but too many of them are on a diet. 23. If there is a man anywhere who is hungering after God & is not filled, then the Word of God is broken. We are as full as we want to be. 24. You are only as spiritual as you are Scriptural. 25. The Christian who is careless in reading the Word is careless in living the Life! 26. You can have a head full of Scripture & a heart full of sin. 27. Let me always remember that it is not the amount of spiritual knowledge which I have, but the amount which I use, that determines my spiritual position & character. 28. Believing & reading Scripture means that we hear the Word from Christ's mouth. 29. The Scriptures are in print what Christ is in person. The inspired Word is like a faithful portrait of Christ. 30. As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man. 31. In God's Work we see His hand, but in His Word we see His face. 32. The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer. 33. The Word is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.--Martin Luther 34. All in the Bible that is vital is clear, & all that is not clear is not vital. 35. Let us beware of being wiser than God. What He has written, He has written not for our opinion but for our obedience. 36. As we search the Scriptures, we must allow them to search us, to sit in judgement upon our character & conduct. 37. The story is told of a young curate in the church of England
who was greatly helped in his understanding of the Scriptures
by frequent conversations with an uneducated cobbler, who was,
nevertheless, well acquainted with the Word of God. 38. It is a remarkable fact that Sir Isaac Newton, writing on
the prophecy of Daniel 12:4 said that if they were true, it would
be necessary that a new mode of traveling should be invented,
for knowledge would be so increased that man would be able to
travel at the rate of fifty miles an hour. 39. Sir Bartle Frere, travelling in India, was amazed to find a small town in which the idol shrines and temples were empty, and the townsfolk professed the Christian faith. Some years earlier, one of the townsfolk had been given an old garment by an English resident, in a pocket of which, forgotten, lay a Gospel portion with eight or nine tracts in the native language. The life is not in the sower, but in the seed. Even if an infidel scattered the Scriptures, he would only be exploding his own battlements. 40. There was a godly man in Germany, named Bengel, who was noted for his intimacy with Christ. A friend desired to watch the saintly man at his devotions. So he concealed himself one night in his room. Bengel sat long at his table, reading his New Testament. The hours passed. At length the clock struck midnight, & the old man spread out his hands & said with great joy, "Dear Lord Jesus, we are on the same old terms." Then closing his book, he was soon in bed & asleep. He had learned the secret of friendship with Christ. 41. A skeptic in London recently said, in speaking of the Bible,
that it was quite impossible in
these days to
believe in any
book whose author was unknown. A Christian asked him if the compiler
of the multiplication table was known. "No," he answered. 42. We search the world for truth. We cull 43. I am the Bible. 44. When Dwight L. Moody was dedicating the first building of what later became the Moody Bible Institute, he gave the cornerstone a whack with the trowel, then made an invocation to this effect: "Lord, You know that what this old World needs more than anything else is Thy Word. We pray that if the day ever comes when anything contrary to the Bible is taught here, You will wipe this school from the face of the Earth!" 45. Generations follow generations - yet it lives. 46. A young man was home from the theological school to visit his grandmother. To have a bit of fun at her expense, he said, "Grandmother, you know the Bible that you say you believe was written in Hebrew and Greek. It had to be translated by great scholars into our language. How do you know those who translated it got it right?" "Ah," she answered, "never mind the great men. I have translated a few of the promises myself!" 47. If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses
in this country and the people do not become religious, I do
not know what is to become of us as a nation. And the thought
is one to cause solemn reflection on the part of every patriot
and Christian. If the truth be not diffused, error will be; if
God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his
works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does
not reach every hamlet, the pages of corrupt and licentious literature
will. 48. Within this ample volume lies 49. If asked what is the remedy for the deeper sorrows of the human heart, what a man should chiefly look to in his progress as the power that is to sustain him under trials & enable him to confront his inevitable afflictions, I must point him to something which in a well-known hymn is called "The Old, Old Story", told in an old, old Book, which is the greatest & best gift ever given to mankind.--Wm. E. Gladstone, three times Premier of Great Britain 50. A YOUNG Christian, packing his bag for a journey, said
to a friend, "I have nearly finished packing. All I have to
put in the bag yet are a guide book, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope,
a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old
letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of books
I have been studying." Then he placed his Bible in a corner
of the suitcase and closed it. 51. Some time ago an elderly man living in New Jersey made
an unusual discovery as he leafed through
an old
family Bible. Many
years earlier, his aunt had died and left it to him. Part of
her will read: "To my beloved Steven Marsh I bequeath my
family Bible and all it contains, along with the residue of my
estate after my funeral expenses and just and lawful debts are
paid." When everything had been settled the nephew got a
few hundred dollars plus the old volume mentioned in the will. 52. When William IV of England died, there was a young girl
spending the night at the palace. They awakened her and told
her that she was now the Queen of England. As soon as she heard
the news she dropped on her knees and asked the Heavenly Father
to help and guide her through all the years that were to follow. 53. The Bible's almost incredibly correct historical memory has been validated many times by archaeological discoveries. No discovery has ever controverted a Bible reference.--Dr. Nelson Glueck, Jewish archaeologist. 54. It is my confident hope that my subjects may never cease to cherish their noble inheritance in the English Bible which is the first of national treasures. Its spiritual significance is the most valuable thing the World affords.--King George V 55. There is a huge painting hanging in the Supreme Court Building
in the little country of Switzerland.
It was
painted by an artist
named Paul Robert, and the title is "Justice Instructing
the Judges." 56. The true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty has often been
retold. One part that deserves retelling was the transformation
wrought by one book. Nine mutineers with six native men and twelve
native (Tahitian) women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790.
One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony
was plunged into debauchery and vice. 57. Wherever the Bible has gone, civilisation has taken root, & dehumanising, degrading customs have disappeared. Two sailors swam from their wrecked ship to a cannibal island in the South Pacific. "We will probably end in the pot!" said one. Going inland in search for food, the two men cautiously entered a hut whose occupant was out. Seeing a Bible on a table, one exclaimed; "We're all right! We are safe!" 58. The Gospel breaks hard hearts & heals broken hearts. 59. Seldom was ever any knowledge given to keep, but to impart. 60. Knowledge of the Scriptures does not help if it is not accompanied by a believing submission. 61. Some people are critical of everything; some embrace anything. The wise weigh all things by the Word. 62. The Bible would not be the Book of God if it had not deep places here & there which man has no ability to fathom. 63. What makes the difference is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but how many times & how thoroughly the Bible has been through you.--Gypsy Smith 64. God's mind is revealed in Scripture, but we can see nothing without the spectacles of the Holy Ghost. 65. Thy Word is like a glorious choir, 66. The study of God's Word for the purpose of discovering God's Will is the secret discipline which has formed the greatest characters.--James W. Alexander 67. If you put the Word on the shelf, you will surely follow it. 68. Reading gives us breadth, but study gives us depth. 69. Lay hold on the Word until the Word lays hold on you. 70. I hold that the Bible is essentially a plain book. Common sense is a wonderful help in reading it. 71. Read the Word to get the facts, study it to get the meaning, meditate on it to get the benefit. 72. Whatever keeps me from the Word is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be. 73. The Bread of Life never becomes stale. 74. Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them. 75. The Word... know it--in your head; Stow it--in your heart; Sow it--in the World; Show it--in your life! 76. Don't feed on the World's crumbs; get some delicious meals from the Living Bread. 77. Other books have been written for our information; The Bible was given for our transformation 78. No man is uneducated who knows the Word & no one is wise who is ignorant of its teaching. 79. There will be no sceptics in Hell. Neither atheists, infidels, or agnostics. Eternity will make everyone a Bible-believer. 80. Read it through; pray it in; live it out; pass it on. 81. In Genesis the world was made by God's creative hand; Matthew and Mark and Luke and John the Holy Gospel wrote, 82. A heathen Chinese gave a gift Bible back to the missionary. "Every time I read it," he said, "it kicks me!" 83. Testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee on the value of the peanut, George Washington Carver, who as an infant was traded for a brokendown race horse, said that he got his knowledge of peanuts from the Bible. Asked what the Bible said about peanuts he replied, "The Bible does not teach anything regarding the peanut. But it told me about God, & God told me about the peanut!" 84. Dr. Howard W. Pope tells the glory of a young lady who
read a certain book and, having completed
it, remarked
that it was
the dullest book she had read in many a day. Not long after this,
she met a certain young man. In the course of time their friendship
ripened into love, and they became engaged. During a visit in
the home of his fiancee one evening, she said to him, "I
have a book in my library which was written by a man whose name
and even initials are the same as yours. Is not that a singular
coincidence?" I do not think so," he replied. "Why
not?" "For the simple reason that I wrote the book." 85. One day I found a sealed addressed letter someone had left on a city bus. So I stamped it & mailed it. Then I wrote to the man on the return address that I had mailed his letter. A month later I was thrilled to receive an answer from him thanking me for the Gospel leaflet I sent him & asking if I could please send more. Also he said that sending the letter saved his job & that he was so thankful!--Enoch & Galilee Teman 86. There's a big difference between the books that men make & the Book that makes men. 87.The
editor of a well-known London newspaper sent a letter of
inquiry to one hundred important
peers, members
of parliament,
university professors, authors, merchants--a varied list. The
inquiry was: "Suppose you were sent to prison for three
years and you could only take three books with you. Which three
would you choose? Please state them in order of their importance." 88. Martha in the kitchen, serving with her hands; Mary on the footstool, eyes upon her Lord; So may we, like Mary, choose the better part. When it comes, we're ready, spirit, will, and nerve; 89. "Just one letter of the alphabet makes all the difference between us now," said a recently converted young woman to an unsaved friend, who could not understand the great change that had come over her. "You love the World", she said, "& I love the Word." 90. Other books were given for our information. The Bible was given for our transformation. 91. In this Revolution we don't toss anything as weak as bombs & molotov cocktails into an assembly, we throw out to them the Truth of the Word of God!--Dad 92. Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door, "How many anvils have you had," said
I, "And so," I thought, "The
Anvil of God's Word 93. Words! Words! Words! Words! Words! Words! 94. Century follows century - The Word stands. 95. An African chief wanted to know the secret of Britain's greatness. Queen Victoria, holding a Bible in her hand, said, "Tell the chief that this book, the Bible, is the secret of our greatness!" (Psa.19:9; Prov.14:34) 96. Moody said: "The blood alone makes us safe; the Word alone makes us sure!" 97. The Bible 98. My Bible is not true in spots, 99. Some years ago Israeli businessman Xiel Federmann began to brood over the account of the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah ("And, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace"), & guessed that such conflagrations might indicate underground gas--& underground gas meant oil. He was right. In 1953 Israel's first oil well went into operation near the ancient site of Sodom & Gomorrah. 100. A humble & prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern. 101. We must read the Word like men digging for hidden treasures. 102. Neglect the Word & you neglect the Lord. 103. To do God's work we must have God's power. To have God's power we must know God's will. To know God's will we must study God's Word. 104. The answers we find in the Word are not quick or easy answers, but they are in fact the only real answers. 105. Apply thyself wholly to the Scriptures & the Scriptures wholly to thyself. 106. No time for God? 107. Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us. 108. A knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a knowledge of the Bible. 109. A Bible that's falling apart often belongs to one who isn't. 110. Carrying a Bible will never take the place of reading it. 111. The most desirable time to read the Word is as often as possible. 112. Keep your Bible open & you will not find the door to Heaven shut. 113. A Bible in the hand is worth two in the bookcase. 114. Dust on your Bible is not evidence that it is a dry book. 115. Many Christians expect the World to respect a book they neglect. 116. How can you have faith in the Bible unless you know what's in it? 117. A Book which will lift men up to God must have come down from God. 118. The Bible contains the vitamins for a healthy soul. 119. Bible verses will save you from spiritual reverses. 120. It's a terrible responsibility to own a Bible. 121. We should study the Bible as a privilege, not as a duty. 122. Don't criticise the Bible; let the Bible criticise you. 123. A colporteur traveling in Bohemia through a Roman Catholic district was surprised to come upon a locksmith who knew the Bible well. He learned that seventeen years before, a priest had gathered all the copies of the Bible together and made a bonfire of them. A gust of wind carried away two burning pieces out of the bonfire, which the locksmith had picked up and read. The first words that caught his eyes were, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." So impressed was he that he and his father saved a whole Bible out of the burning, and became Bible readers and Bible students. 124. It was in a meeting where they were giving personal testimony.
One man arose, holding a New Testament
in his hand. "My
story," said he, "is unlike other men. I was a pickpocket,
and one day I saw a man with a definite bulge in his hip pocket.
'A fat purse,' thought I, and soon it was in my pocket. But when
I arrived home, behold, it was a Book. In disgust I threw it
aside, but afterward, out of curiosity, I opened it and began
to read. Before many days had passed I discovered Christ as my
Saviour and Lord." 125. A young lady, asked by her friend to explain what is meant
by devotional reading of the Bible, made answer as follows: 126. And the noted Dr. J. O. Kinnamn said: "Of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by the archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the Bible, but always confirms & verifies the facts of the Biblical record." 127. Someone asked a young convert how he could believe the Bible was inspired. He said, "It inspires me!" 128. The most desirable time to read the Word is as often as possible. 129. A Christian worker entered a wretched, poverty-stricken
home. Beneath a rickety table, he saw a
dust-covered Bible. As
he left, he said, "There's a treasure in this house which
if discovered and believed would make you all rich!" A diligent
search was made for the hidden treasure. "Could it be a
jewel or a pot of gold left by the former occupants of the home?" asked
the searchers one of another. Their search was in vain. No treasure
was found. 130. A woman of nervous temperament visited the world-renowned
physician, Dr. Howard A. Kelly. The cares
of
life threatened
her physical strength and even her reason. Having given her symptoms
to the physician, she was greatly astonished at his prescription: "Madam,
what you need is to read the Bible more!" "But, Doctor
- " began the bewildered woman. "Go home and read your
Bible an hour a day," the great man reiterated with kindly
authority, "then come back to me a month from today." 131. If God gives Himself to us in promises, we must give ourselves to Him in duties. 132. You cannot starve a man who is feeding on God's promises. 133. We cannot rely on God's promises without obeying His commandments. 134. A little saint may enjoy a great promise. 135. The wise Christian will store himself with promises in health for sickness, & in peace for future perils. 136. A minister went far into a backwoods settlement to hold a meeting and it was necessary that he return late in the very dark night. A woodsman provided him with a torch of pitch-pine wood. The minister, never having seen anything of the kind, said, "It will soon burn out." "It will light you home," answered the other. "The wind may blow it out," said the preacher. "It will light you home," was again the answer. "But what if it should rain?" "It will light you home," was the answer a third time. And, contrary to the minister's fears, the torch did last him all the way home. The Word of God is a torch given into the hands of each of us. What if it rains? What if the wind blows? What if the fires of persecution come? If you will hold the torch high it will light you home. 137. Ingersoll held up a copy of the Bible and said, "In fifteen years I'll have this book in the morgue." Fifteen years rolled by, Ingersoll was in the morgue, and the Bible lives on. Voltaire said that in one hundred years the Bible would be an outmoded and forgotten book, to be found only in museums. When the one hundred years were up, Voltaire's house was owned and used by the Geneva Bible Society. And recently ninety-two volumes of Voltaire's works - a part of the Earl of Derby's library - were sold for two dollars! 138. How to Make the Best Use of the Word Read it through. 139. The Whole Bible Contains The mind of God. 140. God's promise is better than any bond or note on any bank, financial institution, or most stable government, for all these may have to repudiate their bond; God never does so. 141. Learn to put your hand on all spiritual blessings in Christ & say "Mine." 142. God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine. 143. Know the Word in your mind, Keep it in your heart; live it in your life, Share it with the World. 144. The Word has nothing to fear--except neglect. 145. The Bible is the constitution of Christian civilisation. 146. A Bible known is worth a dozen merely owned. 147. The Bible is not only the World's best seller, it is man's best purchase. 148. A Bible stored in the mind is worth a dozen stored in the bottom of a trunk. 149. One evidence of the value of the Bible is the Character of those who oppose it. 150. Satan is not afraid of a Bible with dust on it. 151. The Bible is most helpful when it is open. 152. Those who don't read the Word have no advantage over those who can't read it. 153. An aged grandfather explained why he reads the Word several hours every day, "You might say I am cramming for my final examination." 154. Sister Jones got out her Bible & decided she would let the Lord lead to the specific verse she needed for the day. So with eyes closed she opened her Bible & put her finger on a verse. Opening her eyes she read, "And Judas went out & hanged himself." She quickly sought a different verse, once again closing her eyes & placing her finger on the specific spot. This time she was disappointed to read, "Go & do thou likewise!" Undaunted she followed the same plan a third time, & the verse was, "What thou doest, do quickly!" 155. One of the best evidences of the inspiration & infallibility of the Bible is that it has survived the fanaticism & ignorance of its friends. 156. The family Bible can be passed from generation to generation, because it gets so little wear. 157. Other books were given to us for information, but the Bible was given to us for transformation. 158. The value of the Word doesn't consist in merely knowing it, but in obeying it. 159. If you will carry the Bible while you are young, it will carry you when you are old. 160. The study of the Bible is a postgraduate course in the richest library of human experience. 161. You can't understand all you read in the Word, but you can obey what you do understand. 162. The Word finds us where we are, &, with our permission, will take us where we ought to go. 163. If all the neglected Bibles in this country were dusted off at the same time, we would suffer the worst dust storm in years. 164. A thumbprint on the Bible is more important than a footprint on the moon. 165. The way some people use the "Sword of the Spirit," one would think it was made for splitting hairs. 166. Printers are always especially careful to safeguard against
typographical errors in the Scriptures.
Especially
in earlier
editions, however, some peculiar mistakes have occurred. For
instance, have you heard of the "Vinegar Bible"? This
was so named because the heading for Luke 20 appeared as "Parable
of the Vinegar" instead of "Parable of the Vineyard." A
Bible published in 1823 became known as the "Camel Bible" because
it contains the statement, "Rebecca arose, and her camels," instead
of "damsels." 167. Read the Word 168. A few years ago before the war, a humble villager in eastern
Poland received a Bible from
a man who
visited his small hamlet.
He read it, was converted, & passed the Book to others. Through
that one Bible two hundred more became believers. 169. Bumper sticker on a car in Tyler, Texas: "Read the Bible--it'll scare the Hell out of you." 170. There are a number of splendid translations of the Bible. However, the most effective is its translation into the lives of people. 171. A person who merely samples the Word of God never acquires much of a taste for it. 172. Our Lord does not open the windows of Heaven to the person who keeps his Bible closed. 173. If some Christians knew as little about their jobs as they do the Bible, they would have to be guided to their work benches every morning. 174. The Bible promises no loaves to the loafer. 175. Jesus knows we must come apart & rest awhile, or else we may just plain come apart! 176. There's a vast difference between books that men make & the BOOK that makes men. 177. Fill your mind with the light of God's Word & the darkness will flee! Quote Scriptures! Don't listen to the Devil's lies ! You'd better not, because if you listen to him, the same thing that happened to Eve, will happen to you. Don't even listen to him! Don't listen to his doubts & his fears & his discouragement & his temptations & all the rest, sock him with the Word of God! --Dad 178. You doubt God's will if you doubt God's Word, & of course if you doubt the Word, then you've got nothing to stand on, you're bound to go astray! This is exactly what Saul did, he doubted God's Word, he doubted the Word of the Prophet, & he went ahead & took things into his own hands & as good as said, "Well, I can't stand around here waiting for that Prophet of God! I can't stand around here doing nothing while we're destroyed & while we're being defeated; I've got to do something! whether God or the Prophet tells me to do it or not, I've got to do it! I'll do it my own way!"--And he did, & crash! And God dethroned him & destroyed his kingdom! He lost his birthright, he lost his throne, he lost his crown, he lost his family, he lost everything!--Dad 179. I've got to have the Word to feed my soul & strengthen my body & renew my mind & lift my spirit & encourage my heart & purify my whole being, the refreshing Water of the Word or the inspiring songs of the Faith!--D.B.Berg 180. You can read a Scripture maybe all your life without meaning, until the Holy Spirit speaks it to you & applies it to your situation & brings it to life! The voice of His word, as it's called, when He gives it to you personally for something or He gives it to you in an answer, He brings it to life, applies it to a situation & it becomes alive suddenly! It's no longer just mere words any more, or words that just run through your head, but all of a sudden it hits you & you really get the point!--D.B.Berg 181. You can read all the Word you want, but if it doesn't come to life by the Spirit, it's not going to do anything! You can quote it word for word right out of the Bible, but if you don't live it in Love it won't do any good.--D.B.Berg 182. I see new things, constantly new things. It never gets old! There's always something new that God reveals from the Scripture, as well as by direct prophecy & revelation.--D.B.Berg 183. When
I am tired, the Bible is my bed; If I would work, the Bible is my tool; Does gloom oppress? The Bible is a sun; 184. A certain wayward young man ran away from home and was not heard of for years. In some way, hearing that his father had just died, he returned home and was kindly received by his mother. The day came for the reading of the will; the family were all gathered together, and the lawyer began to read the document. To the surprise of all present, the will told in detail of the wayward career of the runaway son. The boy in anger arose, stamped out of the room, left the house, and was not heard from for three years. When eventually he was found he was informed that the will, after telling of his waywardness, had gone on to bequeath him $15,000. How much sorrow he would have saved himself and others, if he had only heard the reading through! Thus many people only half read the Bible, and turn from it dissatisfied. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death," yes, but it says more, it says, "but the gift of God is eternal life." 185. Engraved
as in eternal brass, 186. I
want the proved certainties I want a book that is inspired I want the calm assurance of For when I come, at eventide, This mortal life is far too brief, Then give me back the Holy Book 187. Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.--Douglas MacArthur 188. God never promises more than He is able to perform. 189. Sir. Monier Williams, possibly the greatest authority on the so-called sacred books of the East--the Koran, the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Tripitaka, and the Zend Avesta--said: "They all begin with some flashes of true light, and end in utter darkness. There is a gulf between the Bible and the so-called sacred books of the East which severs the one from the other utterly, hopelessly and forever, a veritable gulf which cannot be bridged over by any science of religious thought!" 190 Seven
Wonders of the Word: 191. There are Christians living on spiritual stale bread & mouldy cheese when they might be enjoying roast turkey from Heaven! 192. Certainly no revolution that has ever taken place in society can be compared to that which has been produced by the Words of Jesus Christ. 193. We must throw the printer's inkpot at the Devil.--Martin Luther 194. It is easier to go six miles to hear a sermon, than to spend one quarter of an hour meditating on it when I come home. 195. Doers of the Word are the best hearers. 196. Busyness in the King's business is no excuse for neglecting the King. 197. No man has a right to lead such a life of contemplation as to forget in his own ease the service due to his neighbour; nor has any man a right to be so immersed in active life as to neglect the contemplation of God.--Augustine 198. The Bible is the sceptre by which the Heavenly King rules His church. 199. Our vision of God must be controlled not by what we see in the world but by what Scripture authorises us to believe. 200. I will put down all apparent inconsistencies in the Bible to my own ignorance.--John Newton 201. The Lord does not shine upon us, except when we take His Word as our light. 202. The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering & the most comfortable way of dying. 203. While other books inform, & some few reform, this one Book transforms. 204. Scripture is not only pure but purifying. 205. When the dust of battle dies down we shall hear all sixty-six books declare with the apostle Paul, 'Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.' 206. In
the study of the Scriptures, "on the threshhold
of your task you will find a host of lurking demons to lure you
away from it," warns Dr. Samuel Zwemer. In this, as in all
branches of study, "concentration is the secret of success," as
Emerson has said. 207.There is a story told of an American who went over to Paris, and, wishing to buy his wife a little gift, purchased a phosphorescent, mother-of-pearl match-box container; and the beauty of it was that in the dark it was said to radiate a wonderful light. He packed it in his trunk, took it home to the U.S.A., and after the family welcome dinner asked for the lights to be put out. In the dark he took the match-box container from his pocket to present it to his wife, but, when he looked at it, it was as black as the darkness around. Then he said, 'That is just what they palm off on foreigners. I've been swindled.' Next day his wife, a bit curious, discovered on the box a few words in French. She took it down to some friends who had a French maid and had it translated. That night, in the darkness, it was all aglow, for she had followed the instructions written on the box, which said: 'If you keep me all day long in the sunlight, I will shine for you all night long in the darkness.' (2 Cor. 4.6; Phil. 2.15)
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