The Absolute Treasure of God's Word

"The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

"More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward."
(Psalm 19:7-11)

God's precious Word.
Oh, how we take it for granted!

We have friends who are missionaries to China. They have shared stories of the new Chinese Believers kissing the Bibles that are carefully smuggled in under great danger to the smuggler. Often, a Bible is torn page by page so that everyone gets a piece of God's Word. The underground church members then rotate their pages that are soooo treasured.

Do we treasure God's Word like that? I KNOW!! That hurts, doesn't it, but God wants us to consider the value of His Word.

God's Law - His Word - is perfect.
His Word restores us, cleanses us, fills us with hope.
His testimony is sure - dependable, constant, strong.
His statutes bring us great joy as they teach us about our Lord.
God's commandments are pure, bringing us insight and understanding of Who He is.
The fear - reverence, worship - of the Lord and His Word is from everlasting to everlasting.
God's Word is priceless.

And God's Word is sweet - sweeter than honey - liquid gold, bringing life to those who partake.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians & Jews, shared something recently on his devotional, Holy Land Moments: "Jews value God's Word. They kiss the Torah (Hebrew Bible) if it falls on the floor, they bury it in a cemetery when it is old and torn, and they always treat the Name and Word of God with awe and respect."

I don't know about you, but his words cut me to the quick.
And they inspired me.

Rabbi Eckstein inspired me to understand the absolute treasure we have in God's Word.
He inspired me to grasp the Holiness of my Bible.
He inspired me to understand that my Bible is the breathed Word of Almighty God.

God has given me His treasure. He has given you His treasure. Praise His Name!

Father, Forgive me for taking Your Word for granted, for taking it lightly. I want this truth to sink into my Spirit and give me understanding of how precious Your Word is. I believe my friends believe the same way. American Christians have it so easy. Our shelves are lined with Bibles because we like to have the latest edition. But Lord, do we treasure them? You have shown me that, no, we do not - at least, I don't. I am so sorry, Lord. Thank You for showing me Your heart and opening my eyes that I could see. I love you, Lord.