Key Verse: Romans 15:4 “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

” Do you enjoy reading the Bible?” someone asked me recently. “Sometimes, yes. Other times, no.” I answered. “Why the fluctuation?” he questioned. ” Because the Bible is a teacher, and I don’t always like to be taught,” I said. “Why?” he asked. “I guess it’s because teaching always includes challenge to change. And sometimes I want to stay just the way I am. Or at least I’d rather not put out the energy that transformative demands.” Maybe I just should have referred my friend to today’s key verse — it says it all.

The bible was written “for our learning”. It’s a teacher. It records history, “things written before…”, and it expects to be taken seriously. It tells it like it was, and in this honest presentation of the past, it implies that the response of the reader should be just as honest in the present. What’s more, it assumes we’ll learn today from yesterday’s lessons. This, of course, is not always the case.

The Bible encourages us to be patient. To take life a day at a time in light of the ultimate “Day” when we’ll stand before our Maker. It recognizes the ups and downs of daily living but challenges us in the midst of the immediate to dream of the imminent — Jesus is coming again. The kingdom will be established. Take heart! Have hope! Our present sufferings are only for a moment. Nor can they be compared to the glories the await us!

Little wonder the Bible is the best-seller of all time. It is magnificent literature, trustworthy history, and, most of all, a record of God’s revelation to mankind. It’s a word about the Word — Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.