I bought myself a book lovers desk calendar. The days rotate between a picture of an interior of a library, a clip from a book, or a quote about books, libraries, or reading. Just the other day I came across the following quote:
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” Joseph Brodsky
I have to agree with that. Books have no power unless read, and while book burning is a travesty, apathy is a greater one.
Then this got me thinking about the Bible. It is the best-selling book of all time, and is consistently a best seller throughout the year.
Satan has used the destruction tactic before. Burning of the Bible (in its earliest form) started in 100 BC with Antiochus IV burning all the scriptures he could find. Then the Roman Emperor Diocletian burned thousands of copies and on and on throughout the centuries.
But I think Satan knows that this is a futile endeavor as the Bible itself says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
Then in 1 Peter 1:25: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever . . . .”
And again in Psalm 119:89: "Your word, O Lord, will last forever; it is eternal in heaven.”
Anyway, Bible burning draws attention to itself and to the Bible. No, a much better ploy is to let people buy the Bible but just not read it. The message inside is powerless if the cover is never lifted and the words never read.
As Elie Wiesel wrote: "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
Let us not let the tactic of indifference negate the power of God’s Word. If it is sitting on the coffee table or is in the nightstand, merely chronicling our family trees or gathering dust, let’s pick it up or pull it out, open it, and read it.
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” Joseph Brodsky
I have to agree with that. Books have no power unless read, and while book burning is a travesty, apathy is a greater one.
Then this got me thinking about the Bible. It is the best-selling book of all time, and is consistently a best seller throughout the year.
Satan has used the destruction tactic before. Burning of the Bible (in its earliest form) started in 100 BC with Antiochus IV burning all the scriptures he could find. Then the Roman Emperor Diocletian burned thousands of copies and on and on throughout the centuries.
But I think Satan knows that this is a futile endeavor as the Bible itself says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
Then in 1 Peter 1:25: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever . . . .”
And again in Psalm 119:89: "Your word, O Lord, will last forever; it is eternal in heaven.”
Anyway, Bible burning draws attention to itself and to the Bible. No, a much better ploy is to let people buy the Bible but just not read it. The message inside is powerless if the cover is never lifted and the words never read.
As Elie Wiesel wrote: "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
Let us not let the tactic of indifference negate the power of God’s Word. If it is sitting on the coffee table or is in the nightstand, merely chronicling our family trees or gathering dust, let’s pick it up or pull it out, open it, and read it.
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