The Bible!

This is a peculiar book. Words crafted in another language. things done in a different era.  Events recorded in a far off land. Counsel offered to a foreign people. It's a wonder anyone reads it. It's to old. Some of the writings date back five- thousand years.  Its to bizarre. The book speaks of incredible floods, fires, earthquakes, and people with super- natural abilities.  It's to radical. The Bible calls for undying devotion to a carpenter who called himself God's Son. Logic says this book should not have survive. The Bible has been burned, banned and ridiculed. Scholars have mocked it as foolish. Kings have branded it as illegal. A thousand times over a grave has been dug. but somehow the Bible never stays in the grave. It has been the best selling book  in the world for years. There is no way on earth to explain it. The Bible's durability is not found on earth; it is found in heaven. People who have tested its claims, and found it to be; The Bible is  God's voice and God's book. When you read it, think of two questions. What is the purpose of the Bible?
                    From childhood you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise. for salvation. through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).
The purpose of the Bible is salvation? The Bible have lasted so long, it dares to tackle the toughest questions, like where do I go after I die? Is their a God? What to do  do with my fears? The Bible is like a treasure map, leading us to,eternal life. before reading the Bible pray. The Father will send his helper in Jesus name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. People try to ignore it. They Jump to the New Testament, better known as the Gospels. 
   It doesn't pertain to us, you say. It's to old. I'll share a little story that may change your mind from Max Lucado.  there you are, a teenager at your Grandparents house. You don't really want to be there, but its one of  those family things and so your there. You sit politely and act like your listening as your folks and grandparents talk. Then you grandmother says something that catches your attention. She refers to your great-grand father. and the trip he made to America. from the "Old country." 'What you ask?"
 Grandma smiles, knowing at some point we all wonder about our origin, And here you are wondering about yours. She unravels a tale about your family escaping persecution and settling in eastern Virginia. Next she invites you into her room, Where she opens a large chest that has sat at the foot of her bed for as long as you can remember. A rush of cedar, and mothballs fill the room. " Thought you might like to see this," she explains. handing you a black an white photo in a large walnut frame.. " Its your great-grandpa. The only thing stiffer than his collar is his expression. "Here is his father," she hands you another photo, one of a  cowboy wearing a  wide brim hat and riding a horse  Piece by piece, the chest tell the family tales. Soon you find yourself lost in a floor covered with old wedding gowns, photo albums, diplomas, and bronze baby shoes. And before you leave, you find yourself the owner of something precious- a heritage. An ancestry. A beginning. An origin. You know that you are part of a family tree.  You aren't an isolated pond, but rather a part of a river winding through a great canyon.
 You leave a richer person knowing where you came from. Says much about where you are going.
 Perhaps that's why the first book of the Bible is a book of beginnings. God wants us to know from where we came. Learning that will teach us much about the place we are going.