Encyclopedias

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

Encyclopedias: there was a time when most families bought a set if they could afford to. Parents wanted to do everything they could to prepare their children for a successful future, and it was hoped that kids would browse through these books and be fascinated by the wealth of knowledge available to them.

I remember flipping through our encyclopedias every once in a while when I was bored, but mainly I used them for working on school projects. When you consider how much an encyclopedia set cost—several hundred dollars at least—I really wonder if a set at home was worth the investment. After all, every school and public library had sets you could use for free. And these books became outdated so quickly—you needed to keep buying yearbooks to keep up on current events and scientific advancements.

Of course, the age of the computer has change encyclopedias tremendously. Now you can buy one on CD for less than a hundred dollars and get updates by the Internet. But even though encyclopedias have gone high tech with video clips, sound bites and animated graphics, I still don’t see kids browsing knowledge just for the fun of it—encyclopedias are still used mainly to complete class projects.

Most people treat the Bible this way as well. Have you ever opened God’s Book to read it, just because you wanted to find out what you could learn? If you have, that’s wonderful! But most people treat the Bible like an encyclopedia—they only consult it when they have a problem they need help solving. They turn to God’s word when they are sad or confused or at their wit’s end; they open the Bible looking for answers.

Don’t get me wrong—God wants us going to Him for help when we are facing difficult problems and need good advice. But it is a sad thing to see a Bible collecting dust on a shelf. The Word of God is so many things—epic history, intimate stories of failure and success, inspirational poetry, as well as a guidebook for successful living. But most important of all, the Bible is a love letter from God, where He speaks of His commitment to you and describes the wonderful future He has planned for you. No matter what kind of day you are having, God’s Book has something to say that is relevant and interesting.