by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

Did you know that 38% of adults typically make a New Year’s resolution? And, 23% of them quit after the first week of January. Some people I know have taken on the Bible Challenge this year, hoping to read through the Bible in a year. If that’s you, and you’ve fallen behind, I’ve got some good news. This year is a leap year, so you’ll have one extra day to catch back up!

 

Seriously, reading through the Bible in a year is a worthy goal because it will help set the tone for your day, your week, and your month. As our senior minister Brad Wilson shared last Sunday, it helps you build on the right foundation. To view that teaching, you can check it out here. Brad talked about how the foundation we choose to build on will impact our today, our tomorrow, and our future for all eternity!

 

Why should you build on the foundation of God’s Word? With over 100 million copies of the Bible sold every year, it is the best-selling book in history with almost 7 billion copies sold. It has been translated into more than 700 languages. Over a period of approximately 1,500 years, God gave divine inspiration to about forty different authors. Through this inspiration, kings, farmers, fishermen, doctors, priests, government officials, and shepherds penned 66 books, and there is a thread of God’s grace expressed through Jesus Christ from beginning to end. The apostle Peter tells us, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20, 21, NIV).

 

As the late motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said,

“I believe all the Bible is inspired—from Genesis to maps!”

 

The Bible Rap

A number of years ago when I was working as an editor for teenage resources at Standard Publishing, my partner in youth ministry, David Hennig, and I wanted to drive home the importance of studying God’s Word on a regular basis. Since our audience was the teenage youth culture in the church, we decided to write and record “The Bible Rap.” We even got our elementary-aged kids to help us sing on the chorus that familiar song, “The B.I.B.L.E, yes that’s the book for me; I stand alone on the Word of God, The B.I.B.L.E . . . BIBLE!!”

 

Here are the lyrics we wrote and memorized for our recording:

 

“Genesis tells how the world began,

Exodus gives God’s laws to man,

Leviticus details the policies,

And Numbers lists all the genealogies.

Deuteronomy tries to say it again,

You better follow God’s Word ’cause it’s part of the plan.

 

Joshua led them to the promised land,

But in Judges things got out of hand.

Ruth stayed committed to her family,

Now she’s part of the lineage of the King of Kings.

The books of Samuel, it’s the reign of Dave and Saul,

In Kings I and II the northern kingdom falls,

In the Chronicles it didn’t get much better,

Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar.

Yo, Ezra, the scribe they couldn’t keep down,

Nehemiah, he rebuilt J-town.

Esther was a babe, she was queen of the land,

She asked the king to spare the Jews from Haman’s hand.

Job toughed it out when Satan threw him a curve,

Psalms are the praise that the Lord deserves.

Proverbs, wisdom saves you from strife,

Ecclesiastes, search for the meaning of life.

Song of Solomon, this book is really hot,

But don’t mess with sex ’til you tie the knot!

 

The W-O-R-D is the B-I-B-L-E,

The W-O-R-D is the B-I-B-L-E,

If you wanna know the books in the B-I-B-L-E

Then you gotta plant the Word in your memory!

 

Isaiah said, “Here am I, send me!”

Jeremiah cried for the city,

Lamentations, book of moans and groans,

Ezekiel talked to them dry bones.

Daniel spent the night in the lions’ den,

Hosea’s wife messed around with other men.

Joel said the locusts would come,

Amos said that God would measure by the line of the plum,

Obadiah said that Edom would wail,

And Jonah, well you know the fish tale!

Micah, he warned of misery,

And Nahum said Nineveh was history.

Habakkuk, the Chaldeans will come,

Zephaniah, there’s still a remnant of some,

Haggai said rebuild the temple walls,

‘Come back to the Lord,’ Zechariah calls.

And Malachi, don’t be a tightwad,

If you keep it for yourself, then you’re robbin’ God!

 

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the book of John

Tell about Jesus and the battle that He won.

Now the book of Acts is no mystery,

It tells all about church history.

Romans says we’re saved by grace,

And Corinthians put some people in their place.

Galatians, we’re not bound to the law,

Ephesians, here’s a unity call.

Philippians, I can do all things,

Colossians, He’s the King of Kings!

Thessalonians, now the Lord’s comin’ back,

And the books of Timothy are on the leadership track.

Titus appointed elders on Crete,

Philemon, God’s forgiveness is sweet.

Hebrews, His ways are higher than the Jews,

With James’ faith and works, you’re never gonna lose.

The books of Peter plead with us to be holy,

The three books of John warn of teachers getting moldy.

Jude is the dude contending for the Lord,

And Revelation speaks of angelic swords.”

 

The Bible. It’s worth reading. It will challenge you, convict you, comfort you, and transform your life for the better.

 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, NLT).

 

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT).