A Simple Question

The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130 (NKJV)

A philosophy professor asked his students to name a book they had read that had awakened their minds and helped them progress in life. Each student named a book by a famous author. He heard titles by authors such as Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and so on. One student mentioned the Torah of Moses and the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. The professor looked at him and asked who he was talking about, as he didn't know either the authors or the books. The student replied, "Haven't you ever read the Bible?"

It was this question that would change everything in the room. While the other students began to mock him, the professor looked at him and asked what that book had given him and how it had helped him move forward. The student replied, "My father is a pastor; he spends hours studying the Bible. He is the very example of what he preaches from the pulpit. I have never seen him preach on a Sunday without at least one person converting or realizing that their life is not in accordance with God's will."

The student paused, looked around, and added, "Great authors have certainly influenced your thoughts, but their stories don't change people's lives. Their knowledge is limited, which is why someone else has to bring a more advanced idea over time, but the Bible has never been reissued to be revised and corrected, and its message continues to transform the lives of those who read it. You can be one of those whose life has been changed by its revelation." The young man's message plunged the room into a moment of reflection. The revelation of God's word can change your life; it can give you far more than you could ever hope for. By reading it, you will be able to answer the questions of those who come to you.

May the grace and peace of God be with you all.