The Real Thing

     I have been on a diet with one of the leading producers of diet plans and food.  The precooked food comes in a box or plastic bag with a beautiful picture of the main course.  I guess that is what it is supposed to look like when it is done.  When the food is finished cooking according to the directions, the end result certainly looks nothing like the picture on the package.  One is often left wondering after they read the ingredients of a product that they have just eaten.  This is especially true when you are on a diet.  The list may contain a bunch of things that are "unnatural."  That is, they are man made products that are used to make the product taste like the "real thing."  They contain no sugar and no salt but they do have artificial coloring and flavors.  They resemble the original food item but in reality, are quite different.  There is one thing in this life that needs no substitution.  It stands alone and not mixed with any thing.   It is the Word of God.  Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:   That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
        I was surprised to learn that there are many so called "religious leaders" in our country that do not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible nor do they believe in such things as miracles such as the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Obviously, they don't believe in the Bible as being the Word of God.  There can be no substitute for the Word of God.  We can be confident that what we hold in our hands is a true copy of God's Word and that we can believe wholeheartedly the message that it contains.  Our lives are filled with "artificial" items that are made to look like the original.  Upon purchasing a pair of shoes, you may find that they are not really leather, but just look like leather.  Plastic is shaped and molded to resemble many things.  Man made fibers also become a large part of our clothing.  But, there is no substitute for the Word of God.  We can be thankful that God has preserved His Word through the ages and that what we have is His true message to us.  If you want to be refreshed, try reading a portion of God's Word.  If you want to find good counsel concerning a problem, turn to God's Word.  If you want to turn your life around, turn to God's Word.  The Bible will never let you down.  In fact, it will lift you up.  Praise God today for His Word and then spend some time reading it.