The Value of God's Word

In 1st Peter 1, we see a high view of Scripture that is expressed:
(23) you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

The Word of the Lord endures forever - in verse 23, the Word is described as "living and enduring".   Hebrews 4 says that His Word is living and active.   So, what is the value of God's Word to you?   If we truly value the Word and regard the Bible as God's infallible, inerrant Word spoken to humanity, then we can also rely on that Word to produce fruit to God's glory in our lives as we submit to the Lordship of Jesus, read, study, and mediate on the Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to activate that Word in our hearts and empower us to live according to what is contained within it.

What's the value of God's Word?   What is the value of His truth to you?
The Psalmist attempted to relate the concept of the value of God's Word in Psalm 19:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul ; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart ; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever ; The judgments of the LORD are true ; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold ; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.   The Old South Church in Boston has owned a rather valuable rendering of the Psalms, and the church body was told that it could yield millions of dollars - perhaps up to $10 million - if it were to be auctioned off.   You see, it owned one of only 11 surviving copies of the Bay Psalm Book, said to be the first book published in the North American Colonies.   According to the Boston Globe, the psalm book was the work of severalleading Puritan ministers who wanted a more literal — and in their eyes, more theologically correct — translation of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew.  It quickly became the standard psalter used on Sunday mornings throughout the Massachusetts Bay Colony, said Ian Quinn, a music professor at Yale University.

The eleven copies that have survived are all owned by major institutions. No copy has been on the market since 1947.

Yesterday, the church voted on whether or not to sell the valuable artifact and invest the money in preserving the building and to do the work of missions.   The final tally:  271 in favor and 34 opposed.   I can definitely see the point of view of the small minority that voted to keep the psalm book:  after all, you don't come across one of those every day.  But, when you read the comments of those in favor, you begin to contemplate not only the value of God's word, but the work of the word - taking the Lord's principles and using them to infect the world.   The Globe stated:

...most of those who spoke at Sunday’s meeting, including a number of the church’s current leaders, made a strong case for a sale. They said the church had a primary responsibility to invest in its building so that it could keep its doors open seven days a week as a “sanctuary in the city,” continue ministering to the poor, and expand its membership.

For me, the picture here is of not only the inestimable value of God's Word, but the value is shown as we live it and apply.   We cannot be content to merely let it sit on a shelf or be displayed in a museum - we are called to order our lives by the principles contained within.   Old South says they'll use the money raised by the sale of the book to meet the needs of the community - if we personally revere the word of God, then it will produce fruit in our lives.

And, there is a disconnect between owning a Bible and reading it - and between reading it and living it.   The American Bible Society, in this year's State of the Bible survey, found that on average, 85% of U.S. households own a Bible; the average number of Bibles per household is 4.3.   But, over one-third of Americans - 36% - read the Bible less than once a year or never while 33% read the Bible once a week or more.

So, we have work today - perhaps the actions of the Old South Church in Boston can give us a challenge to place incredible value of the Word of God in our lives.