Tidbits for Thought

THE BOOK

Psalm 19: 7-11 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold, they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

In the late 1800’s, a preacher by the name of Russell Conwell wrote a short book that soon became an American classic. It told a parable of a farmer who was rich and contented until he heard the story of the riches that diamonds could buy. He sold his farm and searched the world over for diamonds until he died...... frustrated, alone, and broke. Meanwhile the man who bought his farm discovered a bright shiny rock that was imbedded in the ground. That rock was a pure diamond that was the very first indication of the immense treasure that became known as the Treasure of Golconda.

In many ways, this is a story that impacts quite a few individuals in this world. It seems that one very human trait that afflicts many is to search for happiness, contentment and well-being in things, possessions and knowledge that are thought to be far away from a current location. Many times, the search leads to unknown parts of our world where the object being sought is thought to be just around the next corner. And as the parable tells, this search is often accompanied by frustration, unhappiness, paranoia, anger, and general discontent.

The answers we seek are, more often than not, as close as our nearest bookshelf. They are contained within a book that God wrote using the physical presence of various leaders, prophets, evangelists and other assorted individuals. Over eighty-seven percent  of American households possess this wealth of knowledge and inspiration that is contained within the pages of the Holy Bible.

Within the God inspired pages of the Bible there is something for everyone who reads it. It is an incredible love story of God pursuing His wayward and sinful children from birth to death.  It has the life-giving words that we all seek at some point in time. It has the directions for living that we all seek in some way or another. It has warnings that are written to help us not get lost in the morass of the world. It has the consoling words that we need all too often in this fallen world. It has the inspiring words that can push puny man to amazing acts of kindness and extreme heroism. It has the soothing words that help calm us in dangerous situations. It is a guidebook to help us through the treacherous rapids of conceit and self-will. It demonstrates over and over the incredible power of love, forgiveness and compassion.

It shows us the pathway to our ultimate home…. eternity with our Savior. Think about it!      ~ Aron Smith