Disposables

      “The grass withers, the flower fades,

      But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

                It seems like in today’s world just about everything is disposable. Disposable plates, containers, diapers, etc. Even many employers see their employees as disposable in some ways. We are a people who want everything fast and then when we are done with it, we want to be able to toss it into the trash or dispose of it as easily as possible. There is so much trash that our counties and cities pay people to pick it up and take it to huge city dumps. Collecting trash has become a very large and profitable business.

            A few folks have decided to try to make a difference in this trash issue. Many have found creative ways to reuse and repurpose items from the past. With a little tender loving care and a coat of fresh paint, an old piece of furniture can go from trash to treasure. This process has also become a large money making business. But, the fact still remains that most of us want things to be as disposable as possible.

            There is one thing that is not disposable and that will last forever. It has existed and endured for thousands of years already and will continue to do so throughout all generations. In Isaiah, we read that things like grass and flowers fade away, but, “the word of our God stands forever.” What an incredible promise. We may not always have a hard copy of God’s Word in our hands, but His Word will last forever. It is NOT disposable. It is everlasting!

            There are people in this world that would do anything to just get a small part of the Bible in their hands. They meet together in secret places to share what they know of God’s Word with each other, even risking their own lives to do so. Some of us have many copies of the Bible in our houses. I have at least 14 copies of the Bible and a massive Bible study software full of just about any version of the Word that I could ask for.

            As I get older, and hopefully a little wiser, I have become more and more aware of my great need for God’s Word. I desire it and hunger for it more than I ever have, I believe. Perhaps as I get older, there seem to be more circumstances that push me toward His Word. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, His Word has become my sanity. And I mean that with all of my heart. I still do not spend as much time in it as I’d like to sometimes, but I try to sit down with His Word every day. I know that I have to do so in order to keep growing closer to Him and to be able to exist in the crazy world.

            I am so encouraged that Isaiah tells us that God’s Word will endure and stand forever. I need it. I want to hide it in my heart more and more so that one day, if for some reason I do not have a hard copy or an electronic copy in my hands, I will be able to search my heart and find His Word hidden there when I or someone else needs it.

            Like I said, I am not a champion of God’s Word. I have not studied or memorized nearly enough of it, but I’m not going to stop pursuing this goal. I will keep reading, studying and memorizing. I strongly encourage you to do the same. His Word is so powerful. It is what we as believers need most, even more than literal food I think. I pray that you will join me in diving into His Word every day. Eat it like it may be the last time you get to hold a Bible in your hands. Let’s encourage one another to study it and to memorize it. I’m so thankful for those who study it for hours and days each week in order to teach us His Word. Well, I can hear my stomach growling, desiring some of those wonderful Thanksgiving Day leftovers in my fridge, but first I’m going to sit down and finish studying Isaiah 40, and fill my heart and mind with God’s food first. Won’t you join me? Oh, and I think I’ll use a real plate instead of a disposable one! J

God bless and thanks for reading!

The New King James Version. 1982 (Is 40:8). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.