Profitable reading

You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 3:15

Bible scholar William Barclay recalls the experience of a group of British soldiers during World War I. For a long time the men were in a relatively quiet standoff with the enemy. Among them was an atheist who, trying to fill up the empty days, went to the chaplain to ask if any books were available. The only book the chaplain had was the Bible.

The atheist refused the Bible at first, but then he took it and began to read the Old Testament at random. He came across the story of Esther and was so engrossed by it that he decided to read the whole Bible. As he did, he realized that what he was reading was true, and he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

The apostle Paul stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 that "all Scripture… is profitable." It gives people the wisdom that lead to "salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (v.15). Even passages that may seem boring and lacking in spiritual value have the power to transform people’s lives.

If in our own reading we come across passages that we find uninspiring at first, let’s trust the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and change our lives. Remember, when it comes to the Bible, all of it – from Genesis to Revelation – is inspired and profitable (v.16).

– VERNON C. GROUNDS

The Bible has power to arrest and convict,

To reveal God’s truth to our soul;

For in it we find the Good News of the One

Who alone can cleanse and make whole.

– FITZHUGH

READ: 2 TIMOTHY 3:10-17

Many books can inform you; only the Bible can transform you.