The April 19, 2018, edition of GQ magazine had an article titled: 21 Books You Don’t Have to Read.  The author included books like: The Old Man and the Sea; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and even The Lord of the Rings.

Now before you start booing, the worst is yet to come.  Within the 21 books was also included a very special one, The Holy Bible.  Yes, he writes, it was “…rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it but who in actuality have not read it.”  Obviously, a huge assumption.  He goes on to say, “…overall it is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced.”  He states, “It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.”

Don’t you just love the author’s personal opinion of the Bible?  If it is just another book, then don’t take any of it seriously.  But, if you believe it to be divinely inspired and given to us by the hand of God, then do not forsake it.  Do not miss the clear historical facts found in it.  Do not miss the giving of the law which helped to bring about purity, cleanliness, integrity and connection with our Creator.  Do not miss Jesus, the Son of God, in every book of the Bible.  Do not miss the true-to-life parables and do not miss the prophecy fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled.

The word of God is so much more than a book; it is 66 books of congruent, life-giving, faith-building, history teaching, future telling, mind changing, truth-filled counsel giving and loved-filled affirmations.  Check out these very words from The Book.

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.  (Proverbs 30:5)

For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing souls and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Hebrews 4:12)

And from our Lord:

 Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.  (Luke 11:28)

Some fun facts* about the Bible:

• Over 100 million copies are sold each year.
• The word “bible” is from the Greek “ta biblia” and means “the scrolls”.
• It is translated into 532 languages and partially translated into 2,883 languages.
• It took over a thousand years to write the OT and 50-75 years to write the NT.
• John Wycliffe produced the first translation of the entire Bible from the Latin into English.
• China is the largest producer of Bibles today.
• The Bible is the most commonly stolen book in the world, being available in hotel rooms.
• The singer Bob Marley requested to be buried with a Bible.
• The Bible is the best-selling book in history, with total sales exceeding 5 billion copies.

(*From factretriever.com)