The One and Only – Today’s Family Devotion

The One and Only

Bible Reading: James 1:22-25

Remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself James 1:22

“You read the Bible? Every day?” Rachel made a face like she had just choked on a brussels sprout.

“I’ve learned a lot from the Bible,” Shannon offered.

“That’s dumb,” Rachel sneered. “My mom says the Bible is just a bunch of sto­ries. Other religions have books too, you know. There are lots of good books you can read besides the Bible.”

News flash: Not everyone in the world respects the Bible like Christians do. Some of them think the Bible is just one of many religious books that will do us good if we read them. To them, the Bible is just another book.

That’s a myth. The Bible isn’t one of many great books. It is the one and only great book. There is no other book like it.

The Bible isn’t a book we merely listen to or read. It’s a book we practice and obey. The good stuff that the Bible does in our life-like building our faith in God and often making our lives safer, happier, and more helpful to others—never happens just by owning a Bible or reading the Bible or believing the Bible or carrying a Bible. We benefit from this unique book when we experience it by letting it change our thoughts, words, and actions. As James says, “If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself” (James 1:22).

The Bible tells one amazing message. It was written

• over a period of 1,500 years

• on three continents

• by more than forty authors of different nationalities, personalities, social statuses, and backgrounds

The authors of the Bible were astoundingly diverse, but they delivered one as­tonishingly consistent message. The Bible tells one unfolding story from front to back: God is working to save humankind.

The Bible is unique. It isn’t meant to sit on the shelf alongside encyclopedias and big important books from the past. It’s far more than a great work of literature. Its message is life changing. The Bible is God’s Word, and it’s the one and only book in the world always worth listening to and living by.

TALK: What good is the Bible doing in your life? How does that compare to how you are helped and changed by other books you read?

PRAY: God, thank you for giving us your one-of-a-kind book, the Bible.

ACT: Make a decision to spend time reading God’s one-of-a-kind book each day.