On the second Sunday of December in Brazil we Christians celebrate the Day of the Bible! The commemorative date was created in 1549 in Great Britain and was set up in Brazil only in the year 1850. Since then every year we have a date on the calendar especially to commemorate the free access we have to the Word of God.
The privilege
We have so many bibles available in some countries that people end up not placing so much value on it. In marketing we learn about value, price and demand. Generally, we don’t give such a high value to products that are easily found anywhere and for a low price. We think it is of low importance. Where we have many Bibles available, we ended up finding it too common and we do not recognize the value of having a copy of the HOLY book.
Christians are persecuted in some countries. In those places, possession of God’s Word is prohibited. This possession can lead the bible bearer to death. In those countries, Christ’s followers have to meet in secret and hidden places to preach the gospel and read the Word. Bible even becomes a product of trafficking.
Unfortunately, because sometimes we live far away from this reality, we do not value the privilege we have in being able to freely enjoy the holy book anywhere in our country.
The advantages of reading the Bible
We are formed of body, soul and spirit. These three need a specific diet to stay strong and growing. Our bodies, for example, need healthy food to stay healthy and also exercise to keep muscles growing or staying strong.
Our soul, in this case, needs us to feed on culture, art and of course, things that are good for us to evolve intellectually.
Already the spirit, has only one way of feeding, which is through the voice of our Creator. God’s Word is daily and necessary food for spiritual growth and strength. Meditation on the Word, as well as the application of what has been meditated on in life, is the exercise that strengthens us and makes us always spiritually disposed!
Love to the word
This week I preached in a church in São Paulo, Brazil. The theme of the preaching was inconstancy. Through our study we have come to the conclusion that we need to know more deeply the one to whom we have been ordained as children. During the preaching I asked a few questions and eventually realized how much the answer is one. The best way to know someone is to hear the person talking about their own story.
This is no different with the Lord. God’s Word is God Himself telling us who He is. So the best way to know Him is by loving the moment we can hear Him telling us about Himself. This happens when we read the Bible and spend time listening to what the Lord has to say.
