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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 741 February 25, 2003 - Have You Read It? He said to me, "I don't believe in the Bible. It's full of contradictions and was just written by men anyway." The first question that came to mind was, "Have you ever read the Bible?" "No." "Then how can you decide if it's full of contradictions or if it is really truth?" "I've read about it and people have told me what's in it," he said as he closed the door on the conversation. The Bible makes some extraordinary claims. It claims to be the very Word of God. It claims that Jesus is God and that the secret to eternal life and forgiveness for our sins can be found within its covers. It claims to have guidelines that lead to better lives for those who follow its precepts. It claims to have the secrets to peace and contentment. It is the best selling book of all time. Chances are good that, at least in most western countries, you have one floating around you house somewhere gathering dust. Ironically, most of the people who reject its claims have never read it. Even more ironic is the fact that most of the people who accept its claims have never read it. If you poll a group of believers, even those who have been church attendees for years, you will find that 90% of them (including a majority of pastors) have never read the whole Bible. The secret to eternal life, the secret to peace, joy, happiness and love sitting on a shelf and never read; what a tragedy. Chances are whether you are a believer or not, you have read a number of self-help books in an effort to enhance your life. Yet no self-help book in the world makes the claims that the Bible does. No matter where you are in your journey, a non-believing sceptic or a devoted believer, this is one book you need to read. The key to life is in your grasp. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Psalm 119:105-108 NIV You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 NIV I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:147 NIV May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. Psalm 119:172 NIV Have you read it? Some people say they don't know where to begin.One way I often suggest is to begin by reading the book of John through a couple of times. Follow that with the New Testament in its entirety. Then read from Genesis to Revelation. Read for 15 minutes a day and before the year is out, you will have read through from cover to cover. If you don't like that approach, here are a couple of links that provide suggested plans for reading through the Bible in a year. There are many other approaches out there. Simply do a search under "Bible Reading Plan" and pick one that appeals to your reading style. Don't depend on second hand opinions as to what the most important book in the world says. Read it for yourself. Until next time, may you begin a daily time with the word, starting TODAY. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are holy. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. Don't let something as important as eternity depend on opinion. Read the Word of God for yourself. Ask God to reveal Himself to you as you read. If you like, there are steps you can take right now to be reconciled to God. If you want to know how that's possible simply email us and we'll send you some Bible verses that will explain it to you You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Ministisries International - All Rights Reserved
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