Anyone living in these days will readily recognize the fact that we are inundated with information. In fact, this is called the Information Age. Some of this information is good, a lot is bad and some is neutral. This writer believes that the reason so many people are so stressed out is that they are covered up with information that is passed off as news and they are overflowing with the tension of knowing a mass amount of information that really means nothing to them. But, we have a populace today that loves to gorge themselves on news and information that keeps them stressed out and they don’t even know what is causing it. Man was not meant to have to deal with much of the stuff that we are now confronted with. Remember, man was created to live in a garden with all of his needs met and with constant fellowship with God. The things we are concerned with today are largely the by-product of sin which has polluted everything we know.
Most all the things we hear and see on television are not news as it is defined. We are consuming a lot of information which has no bearing on us. News is something that affects you, your family, your home and your friends as well as some other things that pertain to YOU. If the subject of the conversation is about something that affects YOU, it is news to you. Otherwise, it is only information which you will internalize but which you can only internalize because it does not affect you and yours.
If one hears a report of someone committing a horrid crime in California, it does not affect you except that it stresses your system as you think about it. You are shown graphic photos of things that you internalize and make you worry about them when it does not concern you and you can do nothing about it. You are affected by the information in only one way; you are bothered and stressed. In addition, you grieve for the people involved. We can and should pray for them but we cannot take to ourselves the stress and grief of something that happened a continent away.
I like to read. I consume information from a wide variety of sources. Some is inspirational. Some is historical. Some in scientific while some is simply interesting. I love to read good, well researched information about The Wild West. Reading about that era interests me. The people of that time were living in a difficult period of American development. The lives of many of the cowboys and criminals of those days are interesting. I read them to, basically, do a character study of different kinds of people and there were some evil and convoluted personalities operating in those days. Sadly, we still have some with us in today’s world. Maybe more than the wild west had. I used to tell the people in our church that the day was coming when it was going to be like living in Dodge City in America. I said that thirty years ago and it has come true. But, most of what we hear about our society is information not news. It affects us only if we let it.
When I retire at night, my first action is to get my Bible off the night stand and read it before I go to sleep. That has been a long-term habit of mine which has blessed me tremendously. I cannot plumb the depth of its meaning to my life because it goes much deeper than I could express. But, a thought struck me recently as I was reading the Psalms again. I thought: I read books and articles for information but I read the Bible for inspiration. There is a big difference.
We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” This is not just for Pastors. It is for anyone who is saved and wants to be dedicated to God’s way of life for us. So, we are told that the Bible is for inspiration and it leads us to live God’s way.
When I read a biography or an autobiography, I am interested in how that person lived. When I read science, I am seeking to know more about how the world is put together. When I read astronomy, I marvel at how God put the universe in place. When I read sports magazines, I am intrigued with the exploits of great athletes. But, when I read the Bible, I am inspired and touched deeply in my soul and spirit where no other information can go. I am lifted to heights that inspire me. I am moved to more deeply appreciate God’s grace and love for me to the point that He sent His Son to die in my stead and save me from my sins. I am given confidence for life. My heart is cleansed. My soul is renewed and my spirit is made confident in Him. I sleep peacefully because reading God’s word settles me down and assures me that His hand is on all things. Then, I arise confident of His guidance in the new day. I cannot say it more profoundly when I urge our readers to read the Bible. I has the answers for every human need and God’s people will be helped and guided through their days by the wisdom and guidance contained in God’s Word.
I have preached the Bible as God’s infallible and inerrant Word for fifty years. I have read it and studied it multiple times. I find that every time I open it and read, I find new things that I have never seen before. I am guided day after day by the principles and truths in the Bible and I seek to live by what His Word tells me to do. I have a Biblical world view and not a secular world view. That’s something the Bible will do for a person. It will bestow in their minds the right thoughts and attitudes which will develop a Biblical world view. In other words, everything is evaluated first of all by God’s Word. If you are a person that thinks, first of all, how to respond to situations by automatically thinking of what God’s Word says about it then you have a Biblical world view. You should thank God for that.
You see, His word is a book of inspiration as well as information and the most valuable thing by far is the inspiration. However, the information coming from the Bible is vitally important because it does involve you and yours. It is the Good News. So, read The Book. Study The Book. Look to The Book for guidance and thank the Lord that His Book can inspire you. The world in which we live will crumble before God’s Word. It is our wonderful source of information about Him and the life we should live. We are also given the promise that His Word never returns void. In other words, it will bring about His truth in your life and it will never fail to do so.
In this Information Age, we are inundated with data which is no more than information. But, what we really need is a book older than this information age. We need the Bible which will bring us Inspiration.
Information or Inspiration? I choose inspiration from the only source of information that can produce what we need to live the right kind of life: The Bible, God’s Holy Word.
