Why I Read The Bible...

I love to read books and stories of people who have done or are doing amazing things with their lives! (Even fictional ones lol) Perhaps one of my favorites is "The Hobbit", a story about how an ordinary little guy did big and extraordinary things! I also love reading books that encourage and build me up; reminding me that I am not alone in my struggles, or that I can do big things too! These books are great and each of them have taught me some important lessons in life, but none of them compare to the Bible....

The Bible is FILLED with so much that we can't even comprehend most of what is written in it! A single verse can teach us so many things about God that we get something new out of it each time we read it! Take one of my favorite verses for example:

"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles
;they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
~Isaiah 40:30-31

Okay, so that's actually two verses! Hahaha! When I first read this verse, it was on a really cool portrait of an eagle in my Grandpa's house. I think I was more attracted to the eagle than to the verse at the time lol but I understood that it was saying that God would give me strength when I had none. As the years have passed, this verse has taught me so much about God and His love for me! Even though I make mistakes and fall victim to temptations of my past, God holds His hand out to me; He takes my weakness and gives me strength. And how about that whole eagle thing? Ever wonder why it was an eagle used for this verse and not, say, a hummingbird or a penguin? Well I sure did! And I found that eagles don't fly, they soar! (And there is a difference lol) When a bird flies, he is flapping his wings to lift himself into the air, but a bird that soars spreads its wings and relies on the wind to lift him. We too must learn to rely on God to lift us up; not ourselves. I could go on and tell you more of what I have learned from this verse alone, but I don't need to.

The Bible is our guidebook, our lamp, our instructions, our map. It tells us about the One who loves us so much He died for us!(John 3:16) It teaches us that we have purpose!(Ephesians 1:11) And check out what it teaches to us who have been saved through Him:

We are His children - Galatians 3:26
We are His friends - John 15:15
We are each a home of His Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19
We are new people with new lives - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are His work of art - Ephesians 2:10
We are forgiven - 1 John 1:9
We are like Him - Ephesians 4:24
We are alive - Ephesians 2:5
We are citizens of Heaven - Philippians 3:20
We are messengers - Acts 1:8
We are the salt of the earth - Matthew 5:13
We are a light to the world - Matthew 5:14
We are LOVED - Romans 5:8

What more can I say!? The Bible is AWESOME!! It truly is the Word of God!! And for you Shrek fans out there, the Bible even records a talking donkey!? (Numbers 22:21-41)

So don't be a penguin flapping awkwardly and getting nowhere! Be an eagle and soar on the wind of God's Word!! :)


~Cameron