Last Saturday Mandy, the kids, and I helped my parents clean out the house I grew up in. My parents are getting it ready to sell. They moved out of the house almost four years ago but are just now selling it. It was bittersweet to be honest. I’m glad they are finally selling it but there are a lot of memories tied to that house. In this house we celebrated many Christmases, birthdays, Thanksgiving meals, Easter pictures in the front yard, and so much more.
I had the task of cleaning out the closet in my old bedroom. To be sure, there was a lot of junk I just threw away. However, there were some memories in there too. I found some old toys that I played with as a child. There were binders and notebooks with notes and syllabi from college classes. Board games that my sister and played and some we played as a family. I found the cap and gown I wore at my high school graduation. Too many things to count and each one contained a memory.
As we were looking though one of the boxes in my closet I found the first Bible I remember owning. It was a gift from my parents and had my name on the front of it. There are certainly a lot of memories tied to that Bible, such as Children’s Sunday school classes, sitting next to my grandmother in worship, and doing Bible study with my family. Inside there were a few reminders as well. There was an old bulletin from a church service many years ago. I can remember reading it on my own and attempting to memorize verses for church. We once were challenged to memorize the first chapter of James. I don’t think I could quote all of it now without taking a peek, but it has stuck with me through the years. The Bible was a little worse for the wear but the verses on the page were just as clear as they always had been. It has stood the test of time.
Yes, that physical book I found Saturday has lasted several years, but we are assured in Scripture that “The Word of the Lord will endure forever” (1 Peter 1:25). We also read in Hebrews 4:12 the “Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Many times I have found that to be true in my life. As I’ve read and studied God’s Word He has revealed things to me, about me, that I never would have uncovered on my own.
God’s Word has also been “a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
(Psalms 119:105). I have sought the will of God in His Word and looked for comfort and peace during difficult times. God has always been faithful to speak to me as long as I was in line with His will and in position to hear Him.
Through the years, God’s Word has proven faithful and reliable. It is His revelation of himself to man and it is the final authority on life, the church, family, all of creation. I look forward to what God will reveal to me as I continue to search the depths of His Word!
Sincerely,
Pastor Allen