A Phonebook

2 Kings 22
I just pulled out the handy phone book to look up where a business was located and was thinking about what a convenience it is to have this. What if you had to ask around or drive around looking every time you wanted to go somewhere new? It would be a big pain, that's for sure. (Makes me wonder what it was like before all these helpful things were created.) Anyway, what if that were the case with the Bible? That's why God was always having people write the Word down and save it somewhere because he knew eventually it would get forgotten otherwise and it wouldn't be good to have people asking around and wondering what to do. He wanted people to be able to go look on the "scroll" whenever they needed to. We find an instance in the Bible when just such a thing happened and God's Law seemed to be forgotten. It is recorded in 2 Kings 22 . Somehow over the course of a few generations God's Law had been forgotten about and people were out doing whatever they pleased, which was making God angry. Fortunately, the kings heart was seeking the Lord, and he sent for the help of the priest, then repented and humbled himself before the Lord upon hearing the Word and realizing that the people hadn't been adhering to it. He later followed through with all kinds of measures to return the land to obeying God and His commandments. We are blessed to live in a time when almost anyone that wants can have access to the Bible and we don't need to go searching for it. We have paper copies, audio versions, electronic versions, and my favorite, the internet has it all. (I love Bible Gateway!) For us there can be no excuse for not knowing or obeying God's Word. We have no reason not to be reading and studying it all the time, because it is available wherever we go. Let us not take that for granted, but instead make use of all the great ways we can plant the Word inside us in whatever method we prefer.

A fun, classic song to go with this devotional is Basic Instructions by Burlap to Cashmere. Sorry, can't find a video for this one.

A Lamp

Psalm 119:105
The word lamp is mentioned over 20 times in the Bible, being used as a symbol for many things. The verse I chose likely came to mind first because it is the chorus to the popular praise song, "Thy Word" by Amy Grant, which I have known for a long time. Most of us have probably heard the song or even sung it in church, so this verse should be pretty easy to remember every time you see a lamp. The verse is quite simple, yet powerful, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105 KJV)." Most of us have experienced a power outage at some point in our lives, and in that moment you realize how dependent we are on electricity. Our ability to function and do the things we normally do are greatly reduced without power. Yet think of how difficult our spiritual walk would become without the aid of the Bible. Just like a power failure. Our journey would be much more challenging without God's Word to give us direction, just as our lives become more difficult when the lights are out. Thankfully the Bible has survived and been preserved through many dark times in history; times when books were destroyed, Christians persecuted, and leaders of the church killed. Yet no one was succesful at ridding the world of it. Those determined to destroy it obviously hadn't read it, or they'd have come across the part that says God always wins, and good will triumph over evil. Unfortunately, for us today it's all too easy to take the Bible for granted. Most of us have more than one copy in our house and we have churches full of them. Don't let your Bible collect dust; read it, study it, meditate on it, it should be your guide for all that you do. All the answers to life's most important questions, solutions to your struggles, and a heaping dose of hope and grace are in there. It contains everything you need to keep your light shinning brightly and your path illuminated. So, next time the power goes out, why don't you fire up a battery powered light and curl up with your Bible; it won't be long before the darkness retreats to marvelous light.