018: BIBLE

the first time my imagination danced was when i picked up “ My Book of Bible Stories”. i was just a kid then but i still remember how that book trapped a world between its yellowy covers. although my memory is a bit foggy, i cannot forget how those stories ushered my heart into believing that there was a God, somewhere, who i couldn’t see with my eyes.

Source: Pinterest

those stories might have been hundreds of years old, but my tender heart found enough faith to hold on to their reality. in the world i lived in then, even as it is now, time doesn’t wear out truth. truth stands when everything sits. it remains constant when everything begs for a change.

on this very morning, i am taken aback to the story of David and Goliath. as a child who was often teased for his small stature, i found great comfort knowing that just like David, i could also slay giants. the issue was, my giants were actually the bigger kids who didn’t go easy on me. it was quite sad that i didn’t have a sling and a bag of smooth stones. but, i just thank God anyway.

years after amassing some age and learnings, i fear my heart is not as tender as it used to be and i may be no longer fascinated by the Bible like i once was. and as i look around, i find that this isn’t some personal regression in devotion. it is massive, it is a global pandemic sweeping the face of the earth quietly. people no longer believe the Bible.

yet in many christian circles, not to sound judgmental, we “believe” the Bible for it what promises us, but we are often found in unbelief towards the pattern of life it spells out.

what do i mean?

it is easier to believe Deuteronomy 28:13 that tells us that the Lord shall make us the head and not the tail, than it is to believe that it is more rewarding to love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them which despitefully use and persecute us.

we love the comfort of the Bible. our favourite verses are the ones that reminds of God’s faithfulness, and while it is beautiful and essential, i find that we are being seriously shortchanged. this is because God is more interested in raising a kind of Man than blessing him with natural provisions.

and as the world spins by, we find that it is more difficult to stand with the truth of the Bible towards certain issues. Satan is playing a slow, but deadly game with us. i believe that he makes us find strength in the promises of God, as long as we ignore that the Bible is also a book of rebuke, of correction and for instruction in righteousness, as 2Tim 3:16 says.

it is beyond sad, that in our age, we have people who profess to be Christians, but believe that some parts of the Bible would be better off labelled as obsolete, unnecessary, open to amendment. it is sick, and it is the pandemic that plagues our earth. people no longer believe the Bible.

some weeks ago, i discovered the meaning of the word “homophobia”. according to the dictionary, it means “irrational fear, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust of lesbian, gay, or bisexual people, often manifesting as discrimination, prejudice, or violence”. but i beg your pardon, i believe the Bible too much to be “afraid” of homosexuality.

the Bible, this same book that has outlasted many generations and still remains relevant till now, tells me that God only created two genders (Gen 1:27). anything else outside this box doesn’t exist. LGBTQ and all their consonants are simply non-existent, because the Bible says so.

“There is no way that this world can beat the Bible” - Reverend Kayode Oyegoke

i would rather stand with this dusty ol’ book than to be fluid with the tide of this age. i choose to believe everything the Bible says, and not just what it promises. i choose to believe that God created them Male and Female, and nothing else. i choose to believe that there may be many great books, but none comes close to the Bible.

the more i grow, the more i want to give my children a rich experience into the Bible. beyond the stories and beyond the promises; there is a world spoken of in those pages. i would want my children to know that the Bible is more than a book of promises; it is also a book of commandments.

believing the Bible, all of it, is the best thing you could ever do. for the age is getting darker, and many more lines would soon get blurred. as it is now, the earth has gotten comfortable with multiple genders, who knows what ancient landmark would be erased next?

again i say, believe the Bible, all of it. your faith will save you.

till next friday,

with all the love and strength to write the world,

benny.