HOW DID YOU LIKE MY BOOK?

Imagine that this is your first day in heaven and you are attending a get acquainted session to meet others, such as Moses, David, and perhaps even your brother in law who you thought would never make it to heaven. You are standing with a friend with a beverage in your hand and a small plate of crackers and cheese and your friend suggests, “Let’s go over there and I’ll introduce you to a couple of guys I know.” You make your way through the crowd and your friend introduces you to Obadiah and Zechariah. As soon as you hear their names your mind starts to race. You know you’ve heard their names somewhere, and then it dawns on you. “My word,” you say to yourself, “these are two of the “minor” prophets of the Old Testament.” Obadiah extends his hand and says, “Welcome to heaven. How’d you like my book?” “Oh no!” you say to yourself. “What do I say now? I can’t lie to him, not here, not in heaven; I’d get caught for sure. I would probably be expelled right away, before I even get a chance to unpack. What do I say to Obadiah?” To your relief, Obadiah smiles and says, “It’s OK . . . how about coming to my Bible study tomorrow and we will go over it together?” Wouldn’t this be an embarrassing situation to be in? 

Many Christians would agree with the statement that Paul wrote in 2 Tim 3:16 which reads, “ALL Scripture (not just part of it) is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” So ALL of Scripture is inspired by God and ALL of it is USEFUL in equipping us for EVERY good work. Yet, in spite of our profession of belief in what Paul wrote, some of us tend to treat the Bible or parts of it more like junk mail than Scripture. How do you handle your junk mail? I sort the mail on my way into my house and toss the junk mail unopened and unread into the green recycling bin. Now I would never treat a letter from the U.S. Army or the Internal Revenue Service like that. These important letters would be torn open quickly and eagerly.

Some long-time Christians have yet to read through the Bible at least once, treating many portions like junk mail. I would suggest that if you haven’t read the Bible through, purchase a good, readable translation, such as the NIV Study or Life Application Bible; purchase some dry highlighters and set a goal of reading so many pages a day. Elsewhere on this website are some suggestions on how to choose a good Bible. As you go through the Bible you can refer to the Survey of the Bible notes that I have on this website to help explain some passages. 

Then, when you get to heaven and are introduced to Obadiah, Zechariah, or some other writer and are asked, “How’d you like my book?” You can respond without any embarrassment.