Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now there’s a good verse to motivate people to read the Bible! It amazes me sometimes how people are so hesitant to read the Bible, but there are a number of reasons for that. The most fundamental is that spiritual things are spiritually discerned, (1 Corinthians 2:14) and someone who has a heart closed to God isn’t going to get much out of the Bible. However, there are other factors as well. A relatively modern problem is the matter of archaic translations, or unnecessarily difficult ones. As someone who does a fair amount of translation work, I fully understand that a perfectly defensible translation can also be largely unreadable. Particularly with Scripture, the challenge to remain true to the original text and yet be easily readable in the target language is immense. The Japanese Bible in particular has some problems there. Even so, if it is approached as “a book from God to me,” then there is no limit to the treasures it contains. Many people today are desperate for the encouragement, endurance, and hope the Bible offers, yet they don’t know the supply is so close at hand.

As I say frequently, I was raised in a home that was steeped in the Bible, and that was a blessing greater than I have words to express. The challenge for me as a missionary pastor is to instill a love for the Word of God in those around me. I recently had someone at the mental hospital throw away a New Testament I had given him because he started reading from Matthew 1, and the list of unpronounceable names in the genealogy totally turned him off. I feel the fault was mine, because I hadn’t given him any advice as to how to go about reading it. I do better with the couples I counsel before their weddings, pointing out that the Gideon Bibles I give them have a section in the very front called “Help in Time of Need,” that lists various sit­uations we all encounter at one time or another, and applicable passages for each one. It is hard for me to remember sometimes that few people indeed have the foundation for reading and receiving the Bible that I have received. That’s true even for the believers in this church, and I need to come alongside them and teach them how to mine the Scriptures for the riches they contain, not just tell them to read the Bible, with no guidance at all.

Father, thank You for how You are continuing to teach and grow us individually and as a church. Thank You for the service yesterday, and for the board meeting that followed. That board meeting was awesome! Thank You for the honesty that was expressed, and for the desire to trust and serve You. It’s as You showed me years ago: when Japanese believers wake up to who and what they are in Christ, the nation and the world will be transformed! Help me be fully useful to that end, so that Your Name may be hallowed, Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!