got book?

It does the body good. 

                

I love to read!  Reading exercises your mind, and depending on what you fill it up with, can encourage, strengthen, and enhance your character.  This in turn can do the body good.  How?  When you are taking in content that is inspiring, or helpful, don’t you want to share it with someone?  

If it impacts your life, don’t you want to spread the good news?  If you had a long standing medical illness, and finally discovered the cure, would you hoard the information, or share it with another suffering?  In sharing it helps somebody!

Personally, when I discover something that works, I can’t get the info out quick enough.  I seek after authors that are intelligible, inspirational, and God-minded to aid in my ministry and raising of my family.  Whether the topics be on spiritual, or practical living.

I’ve stood in long lines waiting for autographs for some of the most well-known authors and speakers.  Once on crutches, sweating profusely in pain after moving most of the night, waited for hours to meet Joyce Meyers.  

Most recently had the pleasure of meeting the well-known former  atheist now pastor, speaker, journalist, apologist, and Christian author,  Lee Strobel.

I have a collection of autographed books from over the years I plan to hand down to my children, and pray they appreciate and read them.  These are books that have in so many ways, changed my life.  The words in my collection are influential.  They leave a mark of Christ on every page, but most of all an imprint on the soul.

However, I think the greatest author of all is still God.  Who but God can write pages exploding with adventure, mystery, action, romance, drama, history, and yes, even comedy.  

It is the book that has changed lives for over 1500 years.  He wrote 66 books!  There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. 

The bible was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

It was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.

"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. It had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. 

It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. 

The first translation of the Bible was made into English 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.  The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. 

It was the FIRST BOOK EVER printed!

The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages).  

The Bible is still the best-selling book 

in the world!

Some scholars have found indications in the scriptures, that Jesus Christ had a sense of humor. Yet, there is some that believe that humor and Christianity don’t mix.  Some look at religion so seriously, that they skip over the really good parts of this magnificent book.  Their still stuck in the legalistic chapters of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ to further read the pages full of joy, promise, hope, redemption, and yes even laughter.

There are many episodes and dialogues in scripture where irony and sarcasm are used.  I was told once that sarcasm really had no place in Christianity, that it was not a fruit of the spirit   (Galatians 5:22-23)

This baffled me since I was created in God’s imagine, a God who experiences feelings, and emotions such as:

Anger – Psalm 7:11; Deuteronomy 9:22; Romans 1:18

Laughter – Psalm 37:13; Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 1:26

Compassion – Psalm 135:14; Judges 2:18; Deuteronomy 32:36

Grief – Genesis 6:6; Psalm 78:40; Isaiah 68:10

Love – 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Jeremiah 31:3

Hate – Proverbs 6:16; Psalm 5:5; Psalm 11:5

Jealousy – Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14; Joshua 24:19

Joy – Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 32:41

I am sure that God doesn’t want us to use sarcasm to hurt others.  It can be used in expressing a point across to an audience needing laughter.  God loves laughter, after all He created it.

A cheerful heart is good medicine. -Proverbs 17:22

A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life. -Proverbs 14:30 

The One enthroned in heaven laughs. -Psalm 2:4 

Here are just a few examples of comical episodes in the Bible:

Judges 7:13 -Gideon had a dream of a giant loaf of bread destroying the enemy camp.

Matthew 21:18-19— "Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered."

God upset with a tree?

Just imagine Jesus yelling at a tree while the apostles all stand about awkwardly.

Numbers 22 - When Balaam’s donkey inexplicably started talking and explained why animal cruelty is wrong.

"Dude! Have you ever seen Donkeys Gone Wild?"

Isaac's very name means laughter in Hebrew, and was chosen because of the joy his parents Abraham and Sarah experienced when he was born.

In Genesis 17- Abram was 99 years old, when God declared his new name: "Abraham" – "a father of many nations". Abraham was told that Sarah would have a son. 

Shortly after, Abraham were visited by three men and told by one that upon his return next year, Sarah would have a son. 

Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed to herself about the prospect of having a child at their ages.  Sarah was W-A-Y past child bearing years, and well Abraham at his age must have felt some pressure to perform, and we all know Viagra didn't exist back in those days. 

For Sarah, the thought of giving birth and nursing a child, at such an old age, brought her much laughter, as she declared, 

"God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me."  -Genesis 21:6

"Pa, your going to have to baby-proof the tent"

If God didn’t have a sense of humor then how in the world would He have made Sarah laugh so hard, she named  her child after it?

If you took on the Bible like a Stephen King fiction, with anticipation, mystery solving, and action you could never get bored.  You would desire to spend time in it and discover meaning and purpose in ways you never imagined, and yes, occasionally laugh.  It would build strength, character, and joy.  You would want to share it with the whole world. 

The Bible would become your food for soul.  You would crave the stimulus it brings to the table.  You would savor every spoonful of words jumping off the page.  You would experience the presence of the greatest Author ever known as the crescendos of hope spring up in your soul.  

Read the Bible, it really does do the body good!

But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  -Matthew 4:4

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Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine
www.foodforsoulmagazine.com

References

American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927, 1965).

Maxwell, Arthur. Your Bible And You (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959).

Mickelson, A. Berkley and Alvera. Understanding Scripture (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1982, 1992).

Unger, Merrill F. TH.D., PH.D. Unger's Bible Handbook (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/16/books.italy