7 Pieces of Advice from an ApostleSample

## Trust the Word of God Coming to the end of his life, Paul writes to his young disciple, Timothy, that all Scripture is breathed out by God. Let that sink in: the words of the Bible come from the very breath of God. This is a book like no other book, and these are words like no other words. These words are full of life, power, and grace. These words can transform lives and change eternities. These words are God’s own words. There are so many words today: in email, Twitter, Facebook, newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, and junk mail. So many words, but they are all human words. The words of the Bible are God’s words, breathed out by the Spirit of God. We need to hear them, read them, and heed them. I cannot convey how much this book has meant to me. Taking time to soak in these words day after day for more than 40 years has meant the world to me. God has revealed Himself to me. He has shown me who He is and who I am. He has shown me the nature of life, truth, and reality. He has met me. He has encouraged me. He has guided me. In the darkest times of my life, when I felt overwhelmed, undone, and not sure that I would make it, the Bible has been a rock to stand on, a sure foundation in the storms of life. There is no replacement. There is no substitute for this book. Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “I believe the Bible is the best gift that God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” Every day, get alone with God and an open Bible, and breathe in these words—words of truth, words of hope, words of life. Words breathed by God.