Day 13--God's word is better than a 1992 preteen novel.

I loved what my sweet friend Amanda wrote yesterday on God's word so much that I wanted to piggyback on it a little. 

When I was in 7th grade I had a boyfriend named Matt.  Our relationship spanned an impressive 5 months, 3 of which were over the summer.  Now, in 1992--before the age of cell phones and Facebook--you didn't talk much outside of school.  A phone call to your significant other's house might mean that you'd have to talk to whatever adult picked up the phone first.  EEK!  So I basically went the entire summer without talking to Matt.  As the new school year approached I really started to stress out about our relationship.  Would we still be together in 8th grade?  About then I started to read a preteen book some supermodel who was also a spy and there was skiing and lots of action and I don't really remember the title, but I do remember that the two love interests in the story were named Matt and Kelly.  It was a sign!!  If you had asked me then which book was more valuable, the Bible or this awesome novel, I clearly would have gone with the awesome novel.  (Again, I still don't remember the awesome novel's name.)

You see, I really, really love reading the Bible, but I didn't always.  I thought the language was funny and it was a little boring and, frankly, no answers came to me magically when I read it.  I didn't see it as much more than a text book.  I had taken God out of it.

Do you want to know the name of the guy I ended up marrying?  Kevin.  Not Matt.  Maybe reading that book was meant to be some sort of a sign, but it sure was a short-lived one.  God's word doesn't work like that. 

It's full of history, but it isn't just a text book. 
It's full of answers, but they come to us by grace, not magic.
It was written a long time ago, but its message is timeless.

The Bible is all these things because God is alive in it.  It does what no other book in history has ever been able to do.  It stands alone and eternal. 

Read the Bible today.  If you don't know where to start, try starting with the book of Matthew, the beginning of the New Testament.  But don't leave God out of it.  Pray for Him to be a part of what you're reading.  Chances are you're not going to forget the name of it in 22 years. 

XOXO--Kelly