Jefferson David Tant

My office bookshelves are crammed full. There is no room for more books, and several are on the floor or on the table. They are full of information, some good and some so-so. And there are a few books that surpass all the others that contain the most useful and helpful information that one could imagine. And just what are those books? They are Bibles, books that contain God’s revelation to us concerning the history of the world, God’s guidelines for our journey through life, and information concerning the age to come after this world comes to an end

I am sure that the majority of my readers, if not all of my readers, possess one or more copies of the Bible. It is pretty obvious that the Bible is the most sold book in all history. And what is it that makes this book so unique? There is solid evidence that the Bible is not the product of the human mind. The evidence is firm that the Bible came from the mind of God, our Creator.

Now, the question is, “What are you doing with this book?”

I am assuming that all my readers have gone, or are going, to school. There is something common to every classroom, and that is a textbook. And it’s quite obvious that students need to examine and study the class textbook well if they want to pass the final exam.

And while each school year has the time for final exams, there is a far more important final exam we need to be prepared to pass, and that is on the Judgment Day, when our life on this planet has come to an end and eternity is before us, either in heaven or in hell.

Note two passages that mention our “final exam.” “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Romans 14:10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10)

Then consider by what we will be judged. “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” (Revelation 20:12)

Obviously, we understand how important it is for school students to have a knowledge of their textbooks so that they can pass their final exams. That being true, of how much greater importance is it that we have a knowledge of our heavenly textbook, God’s Word. It is by this that we will be judged for eternity.

And understand that on the Judgment Day, we will not only be judged by the knowledge we obtained concerning God’s Word, but we will be judged by how we put it into practice! And how can we practice the life God has planned for us unless we have studied God’s instructions? “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15)

And I like the King James translation of this verse: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”