I need an editor, God doesn't!

 

Thank you to everyone who reads and shares these thoughts of mine. I love writing, although I am not very gifted in this area. As a former MATHEMATICS teacher, I am sure the many talented English TEACHERS, would love to take their red pen and modify my writing style.

I need an editor, God doesn't!

I think most people know this story. I am completely amazed at the existence of the Jefferson Bible. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America, personally cut out all the miraculous works of Jesus. He removed the virgin birth. He removed the resurrection and the accounts of Jesus after his resurrection. He removed any signs and wonders from Jesus. He labeled his personal edits as, "The Philosophy of Jesus." He never intended for this work to be published, but he did what many people want to do to God's Word. Many people, just like Jefferson, want to live their lives, picking and choosing what to believe in the Bible, editing the Word of GOD. This method of creating your own faith is not new. 

In Jeremiah 36, God told Jeremiah, "Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time."(Jeremiah 36:2,3) 

So, Jeremiah got Baruch to help him. He dictated the messages and Baruch wrote them on the scroll. Then Baruch, as directed by Jeremiah, read the scrolls to the people at the Temple. The people act as if the messages are something new and they report the content of the messages to their leaders. Finally, the scroll is read to King Jehoiakim as all the leaders gathered around him. It's at this point the King has a choice to make. As the leader of Judah, he can set an example, and change his ways, or he can ignore the messages from the Lord. The king goes even further:

"It was late autumn, and the king was in a winterized part of the palace, sitting in front of a fire to keep warm. Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard. Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the Lord had hidden them." (Jeremiah 36:22-26)

Immediately after this destruction of God's Word, Jeremiah was instructed to write another copy. The Bible says, "...only this time he added much more!" (Jeremiah 36:32)

No matter what you think of the word of the Lord, you cannot defeat it. Since the beginning of time, man has been recording God's words at God's insistence. From Genesis to Revelation, the consistency, the longevity, and the power of the word of the Lord have endured. Yes, we have hundreds of translations and a variety of interpretations. Even today there are fierce battles over which translation is "the translation." AND some translations are far from God's true message. People, like Jefferson, have edited God's Word to create their own religion. But you cannot defeat the Word of the Lord, the COMPLETE WORD OF GOD. 

Throughout my life, I have continually looked to the Word of God for guidance, wisdom, comfort, encouragement, and joy. There are parts that make me wonder. There are parts that I would love to edit, to sanitize the message. But, I trust in the Lord. I trust his Word is true. The Word of God has changed my life.

If you have doubts about God, if you have never had a relationship with Jesus Christ, this wonderful book is THE PLACE TO START. Take the good parts with the parts that are hard to understand, and hard to accept. TAKE THE WHOLE OF SCRIPTURE, not just the parts you agree with, and let the power of the Holy Spirit work through those pages. I can promise you, your life will be changed!