Afraid Of Reading The Bible? I Was!

A magnificent source of life insurance and it's FREE. You can't fault that! You won't find me preaching to anyone about religion. That would be way above my simple comprehension. Can you find any written document, article, or book that you can read that gives you peace of mind, even years later? No, not even Harry Potter's adventures will do it.

So, what does 900 pages of advice cost you? Yes, a little time each day spent (maybe I should say "sacrificed") informing your mind and soul of a believable and powerful set of rules to live by each day. It's not the solution to life's hardships and unhappiness. Nothing is capable of doing that.

The vision provided by the masterful choice of words in the Bible leads you to understanding that your living energy (asleep or awake your body continues right on going) runs on a spiritual battery that needs recharged over and over. Where do you think that aging battery of energy evolved from? How do you recharge it?

Reasons you don't read the Bible are infinite. Most seem to be afraid to read it because they might find something that rumor has construed as a set of guidelines that no one could live up to anyway - might even brainwash you! If you read the rules, you might be somehow forced to change your life immediately in unbelievable ways to comply. Not so. Does this strike a bell?

Oh, I see! Your reasons are different. OK, where do we go from here? Maybe these facts can ease your mind:

? The Bible is a complete story of the creation and strife of man, an experiment by God that went wrong. He gave us a choice and we blew it!

? The Bible explains how many thousands of times that God tried to encourage (not force) man to live by his commandments, and how he did it. He certainly tried!

? The Bible tells how God just gave up trying, on a few occasions, to convince man that if you live by his rules, there will be life eternal in the glory of heaven with him and his son Jesus. And if you don't make the effort, so long old buddy!

? The Bible elaborates on God's final persuasion method to make man see the truth and hear it face to face from Jesus, his son. Can you imagine what it's like to sacrifice a son?

? The Bible demonstrates, by recounting stories about real men, what living by the commandments really involves. If you pay attention to the words, it isn't so hard to understand or do.

? The Bible clearly outlines what sin is, where it comes from, and how to avoid it. Everyone sins but God has provided the way out for anyone that believes and complies with the very best of his being.

? The Bible reinforces what we already know about living a good life, but does it in a way to demonstrate the benefits of what God considers good living. Want to know them?

? The Bible tells us exactly where the world and civilization is going - that is if you care or want to know. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, will clearly tell you. Read it even if you don't believe. John, who wrote it, was not on hallucinogens!

You'll be affected by reading the Bible, absolutely --- but for the better. Even if you are a non-believer or a generic believer, you will be a better person in a number of ways.

You will:

1. Feel more compassion and consideration for others.

2. Understand that God loves you and resides inside you since your conception.

3. Believe in a divine being --- hopefully God.

4. Learn the value of prayer, and that it works.

5. Find that your life is much happier and tolerable.

6. Uncover and use your gifts (talents) that God wants you to use.

7. Know that God walks with you every moment and lays out the path you should follow. A plan for your life exists, his not yours.

8. Decide to always ask for forgiveness, and then he will forgive your sins. But, only if you ask!

9. Make the lives of those around you much better without even consciously trying.

10.Recognize that you not only believe, but also that you inherently desire to follow the 10 commandments of God.

Read the Bible slowly so that you understand what it is trying to tell you. The Bible has much more meaning and makes more sense if you obtain and read the "Life Application Study Bible" (or similar study Bibles), a new international interpretation put together by distinguished Biblical scholars and university professors of religion. Representatives of almost every religion joined in from all areas of the world.

The study bible is written in plain English using our everyday words and language. No "thee" and "thou wouldest" exist in the wording. You find that word usage in the King James version of the Bible.

A study bible explains the interpreted meanings of what is written on that page, so you don't have to try to figure it out.

I have heard it said that you have to first believe in God, in able to understand what is said in the Bible. Hogwash! God intended to have his message understood by anyone that picks up a Bible.

The large group of theologians that constructed the original Bible sometime around 450 AD must have pulled their hair out trying to interpret all of the religious writings of that time. If you have read this far, bless you.

The author, Curt Graham, is a retired medical doctor that has written extensively over the last 30 years of his practice on many topics. Writing about his thoughts concerning the spiritual side of life is simply an extension of his compassion to help people - just doing it in another way. The miracles he saw happen in medicine over the years have made him realize that God is walking beside him. It then becomes an effort to open the eyes of those who see, but don't believe.

Dr. Graham and his wife Linda are camping enthusiasts and have a website dedicated to helping campers. http://www.CampingOnUs.com

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Copyright 2005, L & C Internet Enterprises, Inc., Curt Graham, All Rights Reserved.