Inspired by God - 2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV).

   Recently I tabulated all of the Christian books I have ever read since I began to follow Jesus over 25 years ago.  This does not include textbooks I read at CCU where only selective chapters were assigned.  The grand total of books is 103!  I am grateful to God.
   If I had to do it again, I would read a little less and spend time with people a little more.  Yet the vast majority of books I read were a blessing to me.  God used each one of those 103 books to teach me something.
   I make two points: first, my favorite book continues to be Basic Christianity by John Stott.  Though I have some doctrinal differences with Dr. Stott, he is my favorite author, and Basic Christianity gets to the foundation of the Gospel for me.
   Second, one of the 103 books I read was picked out of a sales bin in a Christian bookstore years ago.  I had not seen it before, and I have not seen the book in any store or library since.  The book was quite unmemorable except for one statement which has ever stuck with me.  The author said he treasures reading the works of certain Christian authors, and that he even thinks of those authors as friends.  However, he said his most important reading is always the Bible, the book which is inspired by God.
   Indeed the Bible is the book which God has given humanity which reveals information about God which we people could never have learned on our own accord.  The Bible is inspired by God, as the Holy Spirit truly worked in the hearts of the authors in a miraculous manner.  We often benefit when Christian brothers and sisters give some illumination for us.  And we need caring interpretation assistance from people sometimes.  Yet every person who follows Jesus has the Holy Spirit in his or her heart to help him or her understand the Scriptures.  As we reason and learn from these sacred writings, may we continue to rely daily on the Holy Spirit.
+: Thank You Holy Father for your gift of the Scripture!!!  It is through the Glorious name of You Lord Jesus I pray.  Amen.
Hunter Irvine