Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Forever New” for Sunday, 23 November 2014 - Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Forever New” for Sunday, 23 November 2014 - Scripture: 2 Timothy 3: Keep the Message Alive
10-13 You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.
14-17 But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.(2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV))
I have a Bible on my e-reader. However, it seems ironic to be reading this sacred book that is 2,000 to 3,000 years old on such a device.
This reminds me of all the permutations these ancient words have gone through. The Bible contains 66 books — written on parchment or papyrus in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic — by many different authors in different times and situations.
Even so, the Bible’s road to the 21st century has been rough. God’s word has been suppressed, hidden, opposed, and sometimes even burned, but it has also been treasured and translated often. Here it is for anyone to read — the truth of God that leads us to grace, truth, love, and peace.
Someday my e-reader will be as obsolete as the horse and buggy, and what will take its place is anybody’s guess. But even then, God’s word of the truth and grace that we see in Jesus will be as fresh and contemporary as it is now.
The Author: Philip A. Rice (Michigan, USA)
Thought for the Day: The truth of God’s word is eternal.
Prayer: Holy One, we are grateful for your living word that shines through every age. May your truth find a home in our hearts. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer focus: Bible translators
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