Some say that there’s no instruction book for living your life, but I disagree. The Bible not only explains life for us, but it explains God to us. It tells us about God’s design for marriage, friendship, and parenting—plus shows us how to live our lives with purpose and compassion.
The Bible was written over 1500 years and by 40 different writers. The newest part of the Bible – the New Testament – was written between 50 and 100 A.D. While many question the reliability of the Bible because it was written so long ago and translated into over 1,500 languages, it is amazingly accurate. Archaeological finds have repeatedly confirmed dates, places, kings and events written in the Bible. And, in 1947 when the Archaeologists found The Dead Sea Scrolls along Israel’s West Bank that was 1,000 years older than any version of the Old Testament we had at the time, comparing the versions unveiled 99.5% accuracy. The differences were minor spellings and sentence structure that didn’t change the meaning. (Side note: On my trip to Israel, I traveled several days with an Israeli man who accompanied the Dead Sea Scrolls to England to be translated.)
I remember a conversation I had with your Grandpa Ray about doubts that troubled him over the reliability of the Bible. Although I had not discovered the facts I just shared and I am certainly no theologian (bible expert), I shared with him and wholeheartedly believe this:
There is plenty to debate about the meaning of scripture. That’s why prayer and the Bible go hand in hand. There’s a reason why the Bible is described as God’s Word. It is because when we pray we are speaking to God; when we read the Bible, God is speaking to us. It’s critical that we pause, connect with God through prayer while reading the Bible. This is the only way to be assured that the message we are receiving is from God.
“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37
Dear Son 