Most Influential: Is It Doing Any Good? (Joe Widick)

How many copies of God’s word do you own? Do you have copies on bookshelves at home, one in your place of work, one that you carry with you to worship? Most of us have several copies and among those copies are different versions. Some may even have copies of this ancient book in the original languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. It is an ancient book that has traveled through history to the present, hopefully making a positive influence on mankind. And although it has been abused many times, it is still described by scholars as being the most influential book in history.
There are all types of surveys. I ran across one recently that said of the people that were surveyed 79.8 percent said that the Bible was the most influential book. In second place on this survey, and may I add a distant second was Dr. Spock’s baby book which received only 4.7 percent of the vote. In third place was Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species with 4.1 percent and then came George Orwell’s 1984 with 2.4 percent. It does take a professor in statistics to determine that the Bible was the overwhelming winner among the most influential books published.
Now the most important question: Is this highly influential book making a difference? Is your life a more godly life because of the influence of this divine book. I wonder of the 79.8 percent who claimed it was the most influential book have actually spent time, like many of you and have actually read the book. And if we read this book inspired by God, do we do so on a regular basis? Do we read a passage here and there, or do we follow some system that will make us familiar with the whole Bible? Do we really have a strong desire to know God’s word? Can we say with the psalmist; “They (the ordinances of God) are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than hone, than honey from the comb.” Do you and I plus that 79.8 percent believe and practice what we read? Is this book decisively influencing our lives? Is our relationship to the Bible one of obedience? If we answer yes to these questions, there is another question that must be asked. Are we encouraging others to come and worship with us? Are we spending time teaching others? Are we influencing our children in a positive way? Are we practicing what we learn in our classes? Are we hungering and thirsting after righteousness? We need to realize that this book that is so influential is immeasurably more than a collection of human writings. It is God’s authoritative Word.

Prayer Thought: Encourage me to not only read Your word, but also put it into practice daily