Masterpiece Discovered
A news article from Paris, France, reports that an elderly French woman had a masterpiece of the 13th-century Italian painter Cimabue in her home for years. During those years, the woman considered this painting of little importance. It recently sold for $26.6 million at auction, which made her a rich woman.
Several television programs have people bring in family heirlooms to assess them for their value. Many items of value have been discovered by experts. Might you have a similar heirloom or painting that could be valuable to the world?
Many American homes have an item that is rarely recognized for its value. In fact, it is often despised as out-of-date, considered worthless in a modern world, and unable to help people dealing with the troubles of modern life.
What is that valuable item? The Holy Bible! What could be more valuable than words that come to us from God Himself? God the Holy Spirit moved men to write down His words so that we can know about our origins, the source of our problems in life, His cure for those problems, and our future in eternity. God has caused His Word to be written in human language so that people can understand the revealed truths about these vital issues.
Jesus proclaimed the value of God’s Word: “The words that I speak to you are life.” This means that those who hear/read and believe what the Bible reveals about Jesus will have eternal life.
In order to understand this promise, the Bible presents other truths about our relationship with God. St. Paul states, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely without the works of the law” (Romans 3:25). God means that all people in the world have broken His commandments and deserve His punishment. This truth tells us the reason why there is so much evil, sorrow, and trouble throughout human history. The other truth God reveals is that He sent the Son of God to earth in order to rescue all people from the punishment they deserve. Jesus earned acquittal for every sin by becoming our substitute and suffering our punishment on the cross. Whoever believes in Jesus and His work of salvation has eternal life. God’s Word doe not answer every question we might have. God sent us His Word to reveal the most important truths so that we can have eternal life.
St. John wrote in summary of His book: “These are written that you may know Jesus as the Son of God and that by believing you may have life through His name” (John 21:20). The Bible in your home is the most valuable possession you own. It is not meant to be stared at, kept in a locked safe, or brought out on special occasions. God’s Word is there to be read, meditated on, studied—in order to know Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life. [For] No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).