ThankfulSample

Thankful for my Bible  

You and I have access to God’s wonderful Word pretty much whenever we want, in inexpensive printed editions as well as online on demand. We have not only one English translation but many. We have study Bibles, concordances, atlases, commentaries, and encyclopedias virtually and in print. From the casual attitude so many of us show toward Bible reading and Bible study, you wouldn’t conclude that we deeply respected the terrible sacrifices people made to bring us the Word.

William Tyndale dared to translate the Bible into English in the 1520s. For this, he was denounced as a heretic by the bishops and his books were burned. He was betrayed and seized in Antwerp, strangled, and burned at the stake in 1536. The very best way to honor this martyr and all who suffered to bring the Bible to their people is to read it and know it as our dearest earthly treasure. Jesus used its power to fight off the devil’s temptation: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). 

Be a Bible reader not just to compete better at historical trivia or to do a piece of unpleasant work as a good and meritorious deed. The Bible is your lifeline to Jesus Christ. Satan will do everything in his power to cut that cord. Don’t let him. Enjoy the Word. Learn the Word. Grow in the Word. Apply the Word. Live the Word.