Rare Book

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:137-144

Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much. Psalm 119:140

After five years of school with the exact same twenty-two kids in her small-town class, Aubrey jumped when she saw a new face at the desk next to hers. Gem, along with her parents and older brother, had moved straight from Asia.

It didn’t take Aubrey long to invite Gem to the Christmas program at her church. Aubrey explained that she would be playing Mary, the mother of Jesus.

“Thank you very much for the invitation,” Gem said politely. “My family is Buddhist. I don’t know much about Jesus.”

Aubrey explained that she could learn about Jesus in the Bible. “I have never read the Bible,” Gem said. “Do you find it helpful?”

During the last few days you’ve seen why the Bible is our guide for making right choices. But that fact is only half of why reading the Bible is worthwhile. The Bible isn’t just our road map for life. It’s a map we can trust.

We believe the Bible is worth trusting because of some significant facts:

• Unity. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by more than 40 authors (kings, peasants, fishermen, poets, and statesmen), on three different continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe), in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). Yet the Bible speaks with amazing unity on hundreds of controversial subjects. No other book can claim that!

• Circulation. With more than 2.5 billion copies in print, the Bible is by far the world’s all-time best-seller. No other book can claim that!

• Translation. The Bible has been translated in part or in whole into more than 1,600 languages. It is available in the languages and dialects of 95 percent of the earth’s people. No other book can claim that!

• Survival. From the ancient world, very few manuscripts have survived. But 24,633 New Testament manuscripts have survived to now. No other book can claim that!

All together, these are facts that are true only of the Bible. They don’t prove that the Bible is true, but they prove that the Bible is unique. That’s the first step toward understanding that the Bible is reliable.

So why has this book landed in your hands? Because its Author loves you and wants you to have the guidance you need for a successful and rewarding life.

TALK: What do you think of how God lovingly produced and protected his Word?

PRAY: God, thanks for giving us your unique, utterly reliable Word.

ACT: Practice what you would say to explain the uniqueness of the Bible to a non-Christian friend. Then go do it!