“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'” – Deuteronomy 4:6.

Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. – 1 Timothy 4:13.

A Rare Value

Mr. N. Hartas rummaged through an attic in northern England and found A Hare Among Plants, with a Robin, Lizard, and Insects – the only existing painting of sixteenth-century German artist Hans Hoffman. Aside from the accumulated grime, the painting was in fine condition and looked exceptional when cleaned. Lying with reach of the homeowners for years, the painting simply gathered dust and went unappreciated. Only when an art expert discovered it did the owners reap the financial advantage they could have enjoyed long before: $610,500.

How often the Bible suffers the same fate in millions of homes around the world. Perhaps it is kept in a safe place as the repository of family history and events, or it is placed carefully on the coffee table or mantle always closed and unused. If we were to read it, we would find in its message of forgiveness the power to manage life confidently today and the hope to anticipate life tomorrow. We would find the wisdom to imitate the life of Christ rather than the manners of people. We would find the strength to climb to the high ground of committed discipleship and never descend, to embrace spiritual ideals and never compromise.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley copyright © 1995 by Word, Incorporated. Used by permission.

*Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Applicable Quotations

All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more the truths contained in the Holy Scriptures. – John Herschel

The Bible is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. – Immanuel Kant

When you read God’s word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is talking to me, and about me. – Kierkegaard

All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine book. – David Livingstone