The Bible, Just Open It And Read

August 29, 2004 | Link To Us | Index | This sermon is for your spiritual edification and to spread a little hope and cheer. Matthew 21:36-42 (A Random Selection)

I got this feeling. You know the kind of feeling when you wake up in the morning and you don't have any idea what you want to do on a Saturday morning and every time you think about something you say, "No, I don't really feel like that is something I want to do." So you sit up in bed with the foggy eyes and this stupid pathetic grin on your face while you think about just doing absolutely nothing.

Then an idea crosses your mind.........?

What about reading the Bible? You think about it for a moment and you think about the DVD movie you would rather watch. Or those bills that need to be paid. Or maybe scrubbing the kitchen floor. These last two, NOT! What about the DVD? Yeah, but the Bible would make you feel like you had God with you in a more literal sense, so you opt for the Bible.

But then you think, "Where do I start? In Genesis with the first word of the first chapter and go from there, or do I just open the Bible and see where the Lord takes me from there?"

Why not just open the Book and just see what unfolds. Maybe it will be a parable that Jesus told of the prodigal son returning. Maybe it will be about Noah and his endeavor to get two of every animal into a giant wooden boat that he built in his backyard without the use of any power tools.

That is the wonderful thing about the Bible. There are so many stories to read. You can read about Delilahs love for Samson as she cut off his hair, and betrayed him which resulted in having his eyes plucked out of his head and thrown in prison. Makes you wonder if some marriages these days might be just as horrific. With all the divorces these days, it makes you wonder.

You could read about Job and how his life got worse and worse. Then you could compare it to your own life, and then you might not feel so bad about the fact that your beagle died, your wife having left you for another woman, and your job promotion turning into a nightmare because you have to move to Greenland in the winter time.

But what about Genesis though? You know, the beginning of the world and everything is fresh and new. But then it gets bad and people act like total jerks to the point that God sends a flood of rain to destroy it all. Maybe not a book you would want to read when you are depressed and alone, but then again, you might feel inspiration from Noahs plight and the work that went into that ark.

There I go again, mentioning the ark. It is one of those stories that makes you really think to yourself that your life isn't so bad. Just imagine building a boat out of wood with no power tools and very primitive cutting devices. Your children are wondering what is up with Dad and his desire to obey God and bring two of every animal into the boat he refers to as an ark. This multiple level wooden structure that is supposed to save them and their wives so they can repopulate the human species. If you were a teenager back then you might have thought, "yeah right Dad, and you are probably also thinking that all those animals will actually want to get into the boat." Dad says, "Yeah! Of course!" Then the teenager says, "OOOOKKKKK! Dad, you have fun then, I think I will just go and jump in the nearby pond, because I may just sprout wings and fly above the madness that we sometimes pleasantly refer to as the planet earth."

Isn't that human race a rather curious lot. There are things that really make you wonder why they are the way they are. Take the city of Boca Raton in Florida. My mother told me that Boca Raton is Spanish for "mouth of the rat." Now I am wondering who was in their right mind when they came up with that name for a city. That person must have visited that beautiful place, got drunk, did something stupid and now everybody that lives there has to put up with that name for their city, possibly for the rest of their lives. Or was there something more interesting to that story that I can only begin to fathom?

That is the truly interesting thing about life. That in all things there is a story to be told about what actually happened. That is why there are so many documentaries and memoirs because there are so many people that in one inspiration or another came to some realization about life that just made them want to look up into the sky and think, "Where would I be if I wasn't here right now?"

To some people it is Cool! To others that are reading this sermon, they are wondering what the point of this sermon is. The point being that no matter how much we try to figure life out, the ends get moved and we are right back to the same thoughts we had yesterday. But yet we can get more out of life by taking the Bible and seeking the secrets that God has mapped for us in that Book. We can learn from the mistakes of others. We can see what God has in store for our lives by reading between the lines and praying to God for answers when they seem to elude us which is probably most of the time.

Don't look at the Bible as just another dusty book to place between others that you will never read. Think of it as a book that can be read over and over again to seek the wisdom you need in every day life.

When I think about the books on my book shelf I often wonder why I keep them. Will I ever pick up any of these books again or do I keep them just because there might be a time, some time in the future, when I will actually pick one of the books up and read them? But look at your library of books that you have on your shelves, if you have any, and really start to think, "Will I ever read any of these books again." Then you might think about giving a book or two to a charitable organization where somebody will pick up your book, purchase it, which gives money to others that need it, and a book into the hands of a person who has every intention of reading it.

So instead of doing nothing on a Saturday morning you could:

• Read the Bible.
• Look for a book on your shelf that you never think you will ever read and make it so that it gets in the hands of a person who will read it.
• Sit and pray and think about all the blessings God has given you.
• Watch a DVD movie, maybe.
• Sit and think about how you might help others and not just yourself.
• Jump up and down wearing nothing but a toupee and juggle apples while reciting reptilian prose, wondering why women stopped wearing farthingales.
• Or maybe being more serious and thinking about how the Bible could improve your life, right now.
• Dust off the Bible and open it up. You might just find that special something that will help you get out of that Saturday morning slump you are in.

So why not just pick up the Bible, open it randomly and read. You might just find a pearl of wisdom that will inspire you to eventual greatness.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me to understand the world around me even when nothing seems to make sense at all. This sometimes happens and sometimes a lot and it is at these times when I need your guidance Lord. Bless me in this coming week so that I may find what I have been searching for all my life, whatever that happens to be. And thank you, Lord, for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2004 Bryan Hill