Rediscovering the Word

The greatest book ever printed on this earth by all odds, bar none, has been the King James 1611 Authorized Version Holy Bible!

This amazing book of 1611 has gone into over ONE BILLION copies. With about 60,000 books written about it's text; It has been translated into over 800 languages. This book has been printed at a rate of as much as 8 million copies per year.

Before I write anything, I want to establish one important thing. The Bible is the inspired truth without error, even to the very words, and that it is therefore the inspired word of God.

I love the Word! The Bible is a central part of my life. Jesus said that “heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The grass may with and the flower may fade, but the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8)….God’s word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). In this “topsy turvy” world we need something stable – the word of God is my stability in this forever changing and unstable world!

I like what Jeremiah said “Thy words were found, and I did eat them” (Jeremiah 15:16). Upon reading this scripture I noticed two things:

1. Jeremiah found the word – He was searching, looking, seeking until he discovered the word. Discovery is more than looking at something, it’s digging deep into it and really looking through, or finding out. It takes time and commitment.


2. Jeremiah ate the word - When we eat food it travels into our stomach and then the acids there melt down the food and it converted into nutrients that benefit our whole body. The same way when we take in God’s word and read, study, memorise. We take it into our minds and then it goes into our hearts; and out of the heart come the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.

This may all sound a bit “full on” for someone who just reads the Bible every now and then. It may seem a bit “full on” for someone who just ticks the “I read God’s word today” checkbox. However, if you would just take the time to search the scriptures, dig for the nuggets – you will not be disappointed. The word of God is an endless unfolding of the greatness of Jesus Christ! It is an endless gold mine of wealth for life!

Ecclesiastes 8:4 says “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”

Where the word of a king is, there is power

• Pharoah spoke and Joseph was elevated
• Saul spoke and Ahimelech was slain
• David spoke and Uriah was killed
• Nebuchadnezzar spoke and 3 Hebrews went to the fire
• Belshazzar spoke and Daniel went to the lions.

Our King spoke and there was creation, there was a incarnation, our King spoke and there was salvation! There is power in the word!

If we get the word of the king in our heart, we have power because where the word of a king is there is power!

When those priests settled the ark into its place in Solomons temple, 1 Kings 8 reminds us that the sacred symbol had been pillaged by heathen hands.

1 Kings 8:9-10
[9] There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
[10] And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
[11] So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

Manna gone, Aarons rod gone…only thing left behind was he tables of stone. Seemingly worthless rocks with writing on them. The word was still there!

The word was enough without the manna and the rod. Why don’t you get into the word!

Why wait until we are older?

While I love the King James Version (KJV) I have to say that I think the intent of this scripture is best captured in the Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible. The CEV read as follows:

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7
[1] Keep your Creator in mind while you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, "I don't enjoy life anymore."
[2] Someday the light of the sun and the moon and the stars will all seem dim to you. Rain clouds will remain over your head.
[3] Your body will grow feeble, your teeth will decay, and your eyesight fail.
[4] The noisy grinding of grain will be shut out by your deaf ears, but even the song of a bird will keep you awake.
[5] You will be afraid to climb up a hill or walk down a road. Your hair will turn as white as almond blossoms. You will feel lifeless and drag along like an old grasshopper. We each go to our eternal home, and the streets are filled with those who mourn.
[6] The silver cord snaps, the golden bowl breaks; the water pitcher is smashed, and the pulley at the well is shattered.
[7] So our bodies return to the earth, and the life-giving breath returns to God.

If you want to be rich – invent or find a way to stop the ageing process. In fact, if you could somehow find a way to keep people young, I think you would be the richest person in the world.

There is a level of energy and enthusiasm, and ability that presents itself in the “days of our youth” and unfortunately there is no way to regain our youth again.

It is as youth that we need to get busy about impacting the kingdom of God. Why wait until we are older?

In the days of thy youth!

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth".

What a great portion of scripture, full of such depth and wisdom. What troubles we could save ourselves if we would honour and remember the Creator in the days of our youth.

As youth, we make decisions that will affect our future. It almost seems unfair that we have to make these decisions while we are young and unwise. The key to making good decisions lies in this verse of scripture in Ecclesiastes. We must remember the Creator in the days of our youth.

Another familiar scripture is "thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Notice the use of feet and path. God's word is a lamp unto our foot steps (the decisions we make for the short term) and a light unto our path (the decisions we make for the long term). Remember the Creator in the days of they youth!

Ecclesiastes 12 makes it clear that as young people we must rely on God. It is hard to make wise or good decisions without God, afterall we have had limited life experiences and knowledde. If left up to our own devices we usually find ourselves faltering and making mistakes. I know we dont like to admit it - but hey...it's true.

How often we forget God in the whole decision making process and try and do it on our own. I’ve known many people who have had to carry “baggage” through their whole life as a result of one bad decision when they were young. Regrets, shame, baggage, burdens, guilt etc. We must remember the Creator in the days of our youth!

God is the master craftsman, the potter, the designer, the Creator. He knows us, His plans for us are perfect. It is only when we are walking in the bounds of His will that we can experience life to the fullest – the abundant, fulfilling life that we read about in John 10:10.