As we enter these 40 Days In The Word and explore some of the techniques of personal Bible study and devotional life, I thought I would mention a few people who have found value in the reading and study of the Bible. Sometimes it helps us to hear that very intelligent and very accomplished people have found great value in the pages of our Book.
Sometimes the value of a book is attested by how widespread its influence has become. The following is from Russell Ash’s book, THE TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING, “No one really knows how many copies of the Bible have been printed, sold, or distributed…. A more recent survey, for the years up to 1992, put it close to 6,000,000,000 in more than 2,000 languages and dialects. Whatever the precise figure, the Bible is by far the best-selling book of all time.”
“It is rightly impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.” George Washington, General of the Revolutionary Army, first President of the United States of America, and the Father of our country.
“Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today–if only we would read and believe.” Ronald Reagan, President of the United States
“So great is my veneration of the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.” John Quincy Adams, President of the United States.
“That book, sir, (the Bible) is the rock on which our republic rests.” Andrew Jackson, President of the United States
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.” Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.
“I ask ever y man and woman in the audience that from this day on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of the great book.” Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States.
“The whole of the inspiration of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the Prophets. To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a necessity of American life.” Herbert Hoover, President of the United States
“To read the Bible is to take a trip to a fair land where the spirit is strengthened and faith renewed.” Dwight Eisenhower, General of the Allied Forces During WW2 and President of the United States.
“Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties. Write its precepts in your hearts, and practise them in your lives.” U.S. Grant, General of the Union Forces during the Civil War and President of the United States.
“Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.” Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the Allied Forces in the South Pacific during WW2.
“The New Testament is the very best book that was or ever will be known in the world.” Charles Dickens, English author of A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations to name a few.
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” St Jerome, early church father who translated the Bible into Latin, the language of the people during his time.
“I am a man of one Book.” John Wesley, English evangelist whose preaching and efforts are often credited with keeping England from having the same kind of bloody revolution that France experienced.
“I will cause a boy who drives a plow to know more of the scriptures than the pope.” William Tyndale, English scholar who translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into English so that everyone could read and understand it for themselves. In 1535, Tyndale was arrested and confined to jail at the Vilvoorde castle near Brussels. He was tried for heresy (it was illegal to translate the Bible), strangled, impaled and burnt on a stake in 1536. If you have read the Bible in English, thank William Tyndale.
If you are wondering if 40 Days is too much time to spend learning how to study the Bible, let me assure you that it really is worth the journey.
You are Loved,
Bro. Kelly
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