By Lindsay

The Bible is often criticized by people by being nothing more than outdated & unreliable book. But followers of Jesus know that couldn’t be further from the truth! The Bible is so much more than book; it is the word of God!

God is, was & is to come:

““Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22:12-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/rev.22.12-13.CSB

There is no one else like God. He created the earth 🌎 & everything in it. He has a plan & purpose for every single one of us because He loves us:

“Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. I call a bird of prey from the east, a man for my purpose from a far country. Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭46:9-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/isa.46.9-11.CSB

The God of the Bible is the only God we should worship.

There are many different religions in the world. I’ve heard from a few people that they think everyone is worshipping the same God in different ways. That is not how this works. ⬇️

“Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles. Because the Lord is jealous for his reputation, you are never to bow down to another god. He is a jealous God.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:13-14‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/exo.34.13-14.CSB

Since the word is God’s, it will last forever. No other book will last forever like the Bible will!

No other book can be considered alive, active & convicting. God speaks to us through His word, convicting us of our sins, sanctifying us to become better versions of ourselves. He can use the same passages of scriptures to work differently in the hearts of those He wants to reach.

Furthermore, the Bible is full of true things. Watch Ten of the Top Scientific Facts of the Bible by Living Waters here.

God Is Our Perfect Refuge! No one else can say this! ⬇️

“God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. God — he clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:30-32‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/psa.18.30-32.CSB

The Bible Tells Us How Much God Loves Us. The fact that God created the Bible shows He loves us. He gave us this book to guide us to live how He wants us to, which can save us a lot of heartache and pain if we follow His lovingly written commands.

“I will bless the Lord who counsels me  — even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:7-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/psa.16.7-11.CSB

God offers us wisdom in the Bible. God freely offers guidance & wisdom to those who ask! Pray & read the Bible for guidance.

“If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:23‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.1.23.CSB

“But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.””
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:33‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.1.33.CSB

God corrects His children like a loving father does. The Bible telling us what we should & shouldn’t do is God being our loving Father. Think of all the times your parents told you not to do something bad or stupid, then you did it & had to deal with the fall out. God is trying to do the same thing! He wants us to follow Him & make good choices to experience the best life we can on earth (though it will never be perfect- that doesn’t happen until His children get to Heaven).

Let that sink in for a moment! The same God who created EVERYTHING takes such interest in your life that He wants to be your Father, guiding & disciplining you as needed to help you live your best life & have a close relationship with Him!

“for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.3.12.CSB

“God tells them what they have done and how arrogantly they have transgressed. He opens their ears to correction and tells them to repent from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness. But if they do not listen, they will cross the river of death and die without knowledge.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭36:9-12‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/job.36.12.CSB

Timeless Wisdom & Entertainment

Even though Biblical times were very different than modern day, the Bible contains timeless stories that teach us wisdom and entertain us:

Proverbs

One of my favorite sayings is, “fish get caught when they open their mouths”. This is formally referred to as “asserting your fifth amendment rights”. The Bible teaches us this wisdom in proverbs:

As a self proclaimed crazy dog lady I love dogs, but there is no denying that this is true of many dogs:

Here’s some more solid advice from Proverbs that cannot be disputed:

“A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:3‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.29.3.CSB

“Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:18‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/pro.29.18.CSB

Esther

In the book of Esther, we meet a few key characters:

• King Exeres.
• Mordecai, Esther’s cousin who adopted her & raised her as his own daughter.
• Esther, who becomes queen & takes action in her royal position to save her people.
• Haman, an evil noble.

Haman who allowed pride and arrogance to make him angry. As it tends to, this anger fueled some bad decisions.

When one Jewish person, Mordecai, refused to pay him honor, he wanted to destroy all the Jews. Haman went so far as to petition King Xerxes to destroy the Jews and to prepare a pole to impale Mordecai on!

Now, Mordecai was actually a good guy. He was able to report an assassination attempt being plotted against King Xerxes which saved his life. He was hanging out at the city gate to keep an eye on Esther who he had adopted, as she had become King Xerxes’ Queen.

In Esther 6, when King Xerxes discovered that Mordecai saved his life, he asked what had been done for him. When he was informed nothing had been done, he wanted to remedy that. Haman was waiting in the king’s court to ask him if he could impale Mordecai on the pole he had set up… awkward!

Since Haman was the first person the king had to speak with since discovering that Mordecai received no reward for his good work, he asked the noble what should be done for a man the king wants to honor. Haman arrogantly assumes that he’s referring to him (LOL) & gets a hard core reality check:

“When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’ ” “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!””
‭‭Esther‬ ‭6:6-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/est.6.6-11.NIV

As you continue reading Esther, you watch a young woman be brave and rise the occasion, seizing the opportunity that God gave her:

“If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.””
‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/est.4.14.CSB

What’s not to love about the book of Esther!

Job

When a friend you care about is going through a difficult time, you want to do something to show that you care. Sometimes their suffering is so intense you cannot find the right words or think of something to do for your friend.

In the book of Job, God allows satan to test Job. The enemy wants Job to curse God so he throws everything at him to break him down. This man has lost nearly everything and is now covered in painful boils. Job’s friends come and just sit and mourn with him. This passage of scripture teaches us that sometimes the best thing we can do is simply be there for our friends:

Luke

Most people would agree being humble is a good thing, if for nothing else than to save yourself from embarrassment. The Bible teaches us this lesson in Luke:

“He told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit in the place of honor, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host. The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place. “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:7-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

What The Bible Tells Us About God’s Character

When we read the Bible we learn about who God is. When you have an understanding of God’s character, you understand that He is trustworthy in a way no one else can be. It’s a great comfort to know that He is the one in the charge!

Psalms – He is a compassionate Father

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:13‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/psa.103.13.CSB

Psalms – He Cares About Us

The same God who created everything cares so much about each individual person that He knows when we are heart broken & He is near when we are hurting!

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:18‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/psa.34.18.CSB

Hebrews – He Equips Us

In Hebrews 13, God explains that He will equip us for whatever He calls us to do:

“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus — the great Shepherd of the sheep  — through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:20-21‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/heb.13.20-21.CSB

Romans – He saves us by grace!

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/rom.3.23-24.CSB

“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:27-30‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/rom.3.27-30.CSB

Being saved by God’s grace is the only way we can be saved – NO ONE could be saved by works. Praise God that He chose to do this for us!

He Wants A Relationship With Us

As we just discussed, we are saved by grace. How amazing is it that God wants to have relationships with us this much? ⬇️

“Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:25-28‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/luk.10.25-28.CSB

He Tells Us To Do Good

God wants us to do good. This is who we want in charge – someone who encourages us to do good. ⬇️

“Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain? The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart  — who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor, who despises the one rejected by the Lord but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his word whatever the cost, who does not lend his silver at interest or take a bribe against the innocent  — the one who does these things will never be shaken.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭15:1-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/psa.15.5.CSB

He Sees All

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:13

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/HEB.4.13.NIV

He Endured The Cross For Us

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnessessurrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

https://www.bible.com/bible/1713/HEB.12.CSB

So that is an appetizer of who God is & why I trust the Bible. I implore you to read the Bible today & prayerfully seek guidance from God to come to your own personal conclusion on this.

Don’t have a Bible at home? No problem! Download the You Version Bible app for your phone and get started reading in just a few minutes.

He wants you to spend time with Him – start today!

If you made it this far, thank you for reading this novel that I wrote!