Hennie Symington

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

When was the last time you read a book which you simply couldn’t put down; a book that had you on the edge biting your nails in frustration at the inability of the main characters as well as the minor characters to see that they were bringing about their own downfall? And of course, every bestseller has its family sagas or two which have you shaking your head in disbelief at the intrigues and stratagems of the various family members to gain the upper hand. What makes it even more interesting is to see how generation after generation continues to make the same horrible mistakes. However, the most important element in a book of this kind is an ending where love conquers all and good triumphs over evil and every one lives happily ever after.

There is such a book and it is a bestseller without equal. Through the centuries no less than 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold all over the world and year after year it appears on the top seller list. The only problem is that very of us have ever read it from cover to cover to get to know the real story in all its detail. Sometimes we use the Bible only to pick out personal messages of hope and encouragement – almost like text messages. The Bible is far more than that; it is the age old story of mankind, a tale of hatred, treachery and love, but on a far greater scale. It is the story of the eternal villain Satan and his evil plans to overthrow God’s creation and rule over it. But above all it is the story of God who couldn’t bear to see his beloved characters created by him with the utmost care, being destroyed. That is why God sends his son as Deus ex excelsis – God from heaven – to save us from the grasp of evil. In the process he loses his life. But like all good stories, there’s a happy ending. Jesus conquers death and sits at the right hand of the Father as our representative in heaven.

There are hundreds of gripping stories in the Bible that speak to you. Read the Bible like the bestseller it is, page by page and to the final gripping ending. Perhaps in the process you will meet God in a way you’ve never met him before.

Prayer:Dear Lord, thank you for the many parents, grandparents and caregivers who read the Bible to those in their care and who teach them and inform them of their Christian heritage enabling them to make responsible and morally correct choices in the world they live in. God, thank you for revealing yourself to us in the stories of your Book which you in your providence have had recorded for us in many different way. Open our hearts and our minds to the wisdom of your Word. Amen