The Message
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4 NKJV.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17 NKJV.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 NKJV.
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. – Psalm 119:9,11 NKJV.
The message has finally been received! It only took a little over a century, but the message finally got through! The message was contained in a bottle which was thrown into the North Sea in the early 1900s as part of a marine research project by the Marine Biological Association in the UK. Likely it was part of a project researching ocean currents. The bottle was found by a couple on a beach at Amrum in Germany. The couple sent the bottle, and the message to the Marine association, and they received a shilling that was promised in the message for doing so. Message received, reward given. (Yahoo News 08.21.15; CBC News 08.21.15)
How thrilling it must have been to find the old bottle containing the message! It must have been exciting too for the marine association to actually receive this old message. Even the possession of an old letter or reading the words from it can be meaningful. A year or so ago, we discovered online a couple of letters written by my two great grandfather telling of how he had traveled from Tennessee to Missouri and back. In the letter he also talked about how scarce paper was at that time, which explains why there were not more letters. A few words written down in a message can change your view of people, and of the world.
Did you know there is a letter written to you that is thousands of years old? You know what I am writing about. I am writing about the Bible. It is a message, a living message. Using many human authors God has written you a message. Now, you would think that if God Himself wrote a letter to you and you found it in your mailbox you would immediately open it up and read it. Can you imagine? You open up your mailbox, there is a letter in there, and the return address simply has: GOD. I think I would want to read that letter!
God Himself has written you a letter and tossed it out into the waves of time. Miraculously, even more miraculously than a message in a bottle being found, most of us have a copy of that letter. Have you read it?