All Scripture is inpired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do—Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. … Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

II Tim.3:16,17 NLT; II Tim. 2:15 NASB; Ps. 25:1-2, 4-5 ESV;  Heb 4:12-13 NASB; II Tim. 3:14-15 ESV

There are endless possibilities when it come to books-to-read in 2018.  My Reading List continues to grow… What’s new this year? What did people love last year?  What classics ought I not to have missed?  The possibilities are endless.  The recommendations dazzling.  But none of the titles on my list can boast of the things God says of His Book: It is “God-breathed”. It is 100% true.  It speaks to my greatest needs and equips me for every good thing.  What’s more, it is alive, and it knows me.  

Through the reading of the Word, deep recesses of my soul are flushed out, dislodging lies that have shaped my life since childhood.  Through the Word I come to believe that I am both KNOWN and LOVED in a way that answers my soul’s loudest cries: Am I OK? Am I doing good?  Do you love who I am?

God’s answers re-orient my heart to think more of Him and less of me: God is good, always, in everything.  I need Him for life itself. And though He loves me as I am, He has no intention of letting me stay that way. His is a better vision than I can imagine.

His Word is enough for this older-by-the-day- fifty-something woman to continue to grow by, even if I’ve handled it most of my life. Though I am not the poised, self-confident and competent woman I assumed I would be rounding the bend toward sixty, I know I can trust this Word to do the work God has in mind.

Other books offer to entertain or inform; they guarantee to fix me or soothe me.  Discarded self-help books line the shelves of our local thrift store.  Just to the right are the Bibles, free for the taking and reading.  A priceless value mostly overlooked.

Statistics I read this week tell me that of the world’s 7,000+ languages, only 3,312 of those language groups possess the Word of God, and roughly half of these have only the New Testament.  There are still one and a half BILLION people without the Bible in their heart language.

What a privileged people we are!  Let’s take advantage of this great gift. We don’t need a new book so much as we need to mine the depths of the Tried and True One.  May it come first and be the best of all the reading we do in 2018!

–LS

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Eccl. 12:9-12 ESV