“Abraham named the place Yahweh Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: ‘on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” [Gen. 22:14 (NLT)]
Now I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard that phrase before, but in the New King James Version it says “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided,” which I’ve probably heard in a hymn or something. Even so, there many Bible passages that we still quote today. Some of my favorites are: John 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 13:13, and 1 Cor. 15:10 (my life verse). I use these because to me, they have a lot of weight. It’s kind of like the dollar compared to a piece of paper. I use paper. I like paper. But if I lose a piece of paper, I am typically indifferent unless it has some valuable writing on it. Now if I lose a dollar bill, I care a little more. The higher the little number in the corner, the more I am likely to care.
You see the why we care more about the dollar (even though it is also just a piece of paper) is because it is backed by the treasury, and it is worth something to us. Not only do we like having that paper, but also we NEED it in order to have anything in this country.
So how do make God’s word, which to some is just writing a many sheets of paper, like the dollar to us? As a matter of fact, it needs to be worth more! We should not only enjoy the Word of God, we should have a NEED for it. We should know that no amount of riches could exceed the joy that comes with living by God’s word!
With the dollar, we have tangible evidence of its value. We can buy stuff with it. A lot of people think God’s word is invaluable, and that any power behind it is imaginative. Is there tangible evidence when it comes to the value of God’s word? Yes, more so than money. How? Just look at its source.
Just before Abraham named the place “Yahweh Yireh”, he had been spared the burden of sacrificing his son to God. He had been tried and proved faithful, he had his son, God’s blessing, and a great lesson in how the Lord provides. This is just one of his many stories.
“Jesus, I’m not sure if you’re real or not but… I’ve never given my heart to anything before, and I want to give it to you now.” This was the prayer I prayed in my church basement, it was that pivotal moment in which my heart was taken captive by the Spirit and I gave my heart to God. This is one of my many stories, and to me it is worth more than any amount of money. THAT IS THE WORTH OF THE WORD! THAT IS WHAT WE EXCHANGE IT FOR! Salvation.
God’s word, like our money, comes from a source, which is him, is backed by something valuable, which is him, and is exchangeable for something valuable, which is him in our lives, our salvation! How does it outweigh money? Simple! Just look at the ratio of happy millionaires as compared to happy Christians, millionaires pale in comparison. Money can be taken away before your very eyes in an instant and leave you without it. The only way to lose god is to walk away, and you can’t just “have a little of” God, you have all or none. God is backed with an eternal warrantee!
When people see money they don’t see paper, they see something of value that they both want and need. When I see the Bible, I don’t see paper, I see the word of God that I need and would be lost without, like I was before I prayed that prayer.
So let’s not treat His word like paper, but like riches. Let’s use it in exchange for salvation. Let’s frequently visit the source, which is God, in order to have our fill. And let’s share His word with the spiritually poor, and show them to value the Bible paper more, and the green paper less.
Posts
