Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish poet, historian, and playwright. He was also an avid reader, and his home library boasted thousands of books.
So imagine his housekeeper’s confusion, when on his deathbed, he whispered to her, “Get me the book.”
She thought for a minute before she replied, “Which one, sir?”
His answer was simple: “There’s only one book for a dying man.”
She knew it then. It was the Bible.
Now, I’d add that the Bible is the only book for the living man, too. Why? Because it is filled with our Creator’s words—with His invaluable wisdom needed not just to secure an eternity in heaven, but also to live a heavenly life on earth.
This reality is why Solomon, the wisest man to live, wrote in Proverbs 4:7, “… Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Yes, getting wisdom will cost us some things. It’ll cost us time, effort, money, and comfort, to name a few. But what we gain is far greater than anything we could ever lose.
Friends, as we reflect on 2023 and make plans for 2024, I want to encourage you to consider the book. What place does it have in your life? What place should it have in your life? I tell our church often that if you’ll make this book a priority in your life for one year, putting its words to work, it will change your life.
But for life-change to occur, we can’t stop at reading. We also have to ensure the wisdom is working in our lives. When we consistently treasure God’s Word to the point of action, that’s when our life gets blessed. It may not happen immediately, but over time, as we prove our faithfulness, so does God.
Along the way, we’ll find a few things that work overtime to rob us of Scripture’s rewards. They’re things like hollow, deceptive philosophies, human tradition, and legalistic views that don’t reflect God’s heart or His Word. We may even sense spiritual forces working to keep us from treasuring God’s wisdom.
Thankfully, we don’t have to be swayed by these things. Instead, we can let Scripture do its full work in our lives. How? Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
When we see Scripture as useful for all things—teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training—we’ll open ourselves up to its wisdom. Then, as we commit to consistently walking its way, we’ll see our lives change.
I know embracing Scripture in its entirety might seem intimidating, but think of it this way: If you’ll spend 12-15 minutes a day reading your Bible, you’ll read the whole thing through in one year! All of it!So, if you’re looking for positive life-change this year, I challenge you—look no further than the book. It’s words work!
