Today’s Verse—Hebrews 4:12
The word of God is living and active. It is sharper than
any sword that has two edges. It cuts deep enough to
separate soul from spirit. It can separate joints from
bones. It judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.
In the 1960s, a group of American prisoners of war in North Vietnam had no Bible, so they wrote a makeshift copy of their own. They called it the “Revised Prison Version.” They used the materials they had, writing the Bible on toilet paper with ink made from cigarette ash and water. Each prisoner recited verses from memory, and those verses comprised the new Bible. Still, there were some words and lines and even large chunks missing.
The Bible’s format can be easily memorized. There’s an Old and a New Testament. The Old Testament is made up of thirty-nine books. These books were all written before Jesus was born. The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven books. These books were all written after Jesus was born.
In the Old Testament, the first two books, Genesis and Exodus, contain great stories about the beginning of the world. Then there’s Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which are filled with laws meant for people who were born before Jesus. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Job are books about fascinating folks like Joshua, Samson, Ruth, Saul, David, and Elijah.
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon are books of poetry. These books speak a lot about God, wisdom, and love. The rest of the books of the Old Testament are books of prophecy. This means that the authors predicted certain things about what would happen in the future. Some of these prophecies have already happened, like Jesus’ birth. Some of them haven’t happened yet, like the end of the world. It’s not only interesting to note just how smart and godly these guys were, but also how the world hated most of them.
Wandering with Wooton
When I read I sometimes get hung up on stuff. In high school, when my English class read A Tale of Two Cities, I could never get past the first line. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Well, which was it? But I never get hung up with the Bible. It’s got exciting stories and smart advice. And the first line is way better: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and Tell me more! the earth . . .” Tell me more!
The New Testament starts with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are books about Jesus. The book of Acts is the story of how the Christian church first began, with people like Peter, John, and Paul. The next twenty-one books are letters written by men of God, like Paul and Peter. They contain history, advice, encouragement, stern lectures, and commands of God. The last book is Revelation, which is a vision of the last days of the world that God revealed to the apostle John.
The Bible is thick, but it’s worth a read; okay it’s worth reading over and over and over . . . It can tell us what God is like and what He wants us to be.
Daily Challenge
Look at the table of contents in your Bible and get an idea of where the books are located. If you don’t recognize one of the books, turn there and see what it’s about. If your Bible has introductions before each book begins, read a couple of those.
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Bible Theme Memory Verse—Psalm 119:89
Lord, your word lasts forever. It stands firm in the heavens.