As I shared in an earlier devotion, J. C. Ryle (1816 – 1900) was an evangelical Anglican bishop who preached on the importance of prayer, reading the Bible, and living a life of holiness. Ryle was thoroughly evangelical in his doctrine and uncompromising in his principles. May the following long quote from Ryle help all of us to see and realize what a wonderful gift God has left us with – The Bible! If you are not reading your Bible daily, studying it to see just how wonderful a God we serve, and prizing it more than any other possession you own, then I pray the quote below will challenge you to do so.
“Is the Bible the Word of God? Then let us all resolve from this day forward to prize the Bible more. Let us not fear of being idolaters of this blessed book. Men may easily make an idol of the Church, of ministers, of sacraments, or of intellect. Men cannot make an idol of the Word. Let us regard all who would damage the authority of the Bible, of impugn its credit, as spiritual robbers. We are traveling through a wilderness: they rob us of our only guide. We are voyaging over a stormy sea: they rob us of our only compass. We are toiling over a weary road: they pluck our staff out of our hands. And what do these spiritual robbers give us in place of the Bible? What do they offer as a safer guide and better provision for our souls? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Big swelling words! Empty promises of new light! High sounding jargon; but nothing substantial and real! They would fain take from us the bread of life, and they do not give us in its place so much as a stone. Let us turn a deaf ear to them. Let us firmly grasp and prize the Bible more and more, the more it is assaulted…God has given us the Bible to be a light to guide us to everlasting life. Let us not neglect this precious gift. Let us read it diligently, walk in its light, and we shall be saved.”1
1 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), pp. 48-49.
Today’s devotion divide us as
1.Devils that run away after swallowing the Word
2.Idolators who won’t yield their stony heart to the Word.
3.Spiritual Robers who grow selfishly by accepting the Word.
We have to cross the 3 stages to receive the Light from the Word of God.
When we take efforts God’s grace surround us.