So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.-Colossians 1:8-9
" Now, my Robert, let's stand here for a few minutes, for I want to ask one favor of you before we part, and I know you will not refuse to do what your mother asks."
"What is it?" Robert inquired.
"Promise me, first, that you will do what I am now going to ask, and (then) I will tell you," said his mother.
"No, mother," said the lad, "I cannot till you tell me what your wish is."
"Oh, Robert," exclaimed his mother; "can you think for a moment that I would ask you to do anything that is not right? Don't you know how much I love you?"
"Yes, mother, I know you do," responded Robert," but I don't like to make promises which I may not be able to keep." The young man kept his eyes fixed on the ground. He was silent, trying hard not to be overcome by the emotion of never seeing his family again.
Suddenly, he heard his mother sigh deeply, a sign she, too, was sad. When Robert looked up from the ground, he saw big tears rolling down her cheeks.
...as soon as he could recover his speech he said (gently)-"Ask me anything, and I will do it."
"I only ask you," said Mrs. Moffat calmly, "whether you will read a chapter in the Bible every morning and another every evening?"
Years later, Robert Moffat, who by then was a world famous missionary in his own right, and the father-in-law of the even-more-recognized David Livingstone, would acknowledge his mother's deep wisdom: His "heart was changed by the Spirit of God through reading the Bible, and the Bible only."
The words (and pictures) of human writers may point us to paths that matter; indeed, they can touch the very edges of our souls; but only the Bible delivers on its' promise to put us in touch with the One with the power to change what others believe can never be changed.
Use every gadget, every photo, every poem or bit of prose to open hearts, but never leave them there, for open hearts are vulnerable and naïve. When a heart is open, as Moffat's was to his mother's, introduce it to the power of God in the living, breathing, all-powerful and God-protected integrity found in Scripture.
THOUGHT: The "great mystery" of the Bible is this: Only those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior are granted the ability to understand the Bible. To everyone else it remains jumbled pieces of a wisdom puzzle beyond their ability to grasp. See Luke 24:45: The He (Jesus) opened their (His disciples) minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
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