Are You “So Thankful for the Bible”?
© 2021 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)
A number of years ago, I taught math and computer science courses at a local college. For one of those courses, I assigned a term project. It presented students with a series of files which each contained an encrypted passage of Scripture. The term project required students to create a program to discover the password for each file and then decrypt it. As students progressed, they encountered files which were increasingly difficult to decrypt. Students received extra credit points for each file decrypted. Points per file increased rapidly with difficulty. Any student decrypting all files would have received an A+ grade even if they’d failed all tests and quizzes. No student was ever able to decrypt the most difficult files. However, they became very intent on decrypting as many of the Scriptures as they could.
One day I was in the computer lab which students used for their term projects. As I spoke to the lab manager, I discovered he was a fellow Christian. He had observed the great student effort being expended to discover the encrypted Scriptures. He was thrilled that the students were so intent on discovering them. Suddenly, he leaned back in his chair in front of his computer, and expressed great thankfulness to God. With great emotion he said, “I am so thankful for the Bible!” I think he was glad that, in actuality, Scripture is so readily available to us. Many of those students probably read more scripture from the encrypted files than they ever did from readily available Bibles.
Love for God’s Word characterizes those who belong to Him through Jesus Christ His Son, the Messiah. This is true, even for Old Testament saints who were anticipating the future coming of Jesus Christ. The psalmist repeatedly declares His love for God’s Word.
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalms 119:11)
“Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.” (Psalms 119:119)
“Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” (Psalms 119:127)
“Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.” (Psalms 119:159)
Jeremiah, sometimes referred to as “the weeping prophet,” loved God’s Word.
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)
Have you discovered that God’s Word reveals the only Savior, Jesus Christ? Have you sought His forgiveness of your sins? Are you like that laboratory manager who loved His Word?
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