The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-12-08

celebrated all around the world
by Christians as Bible Sunday.
There are many fine and truth
full things to be said about the
Bible. The story of how it came
down to us is story Of cour-
age, brilliance and heroism. But
people do not read it enough.
! Not even Christians, whose book
it chiefly is. spend enough time
on it. What conceivable good
could you get out of any book
{; if you read only from one to six
inches of it a day?
Books Are Like Foods
! You expect to see half-starved
people in certain oriental coun-
tries, where most people never
see a square meal. But some
times you see half-Starved peO-
pie in America. in the midst OF
abundance. This may be for sew
eral reasons. This scraWny per-
son may eat a good deal of the
wrong kind of food, or of only
one kind. He may fill up on
trash and not have an appetite
for solid nourishment. Or he
may have something wrong with
his insides, SO that no matter
what he eats. his system does
not aSSimilate it.
4 Books are S 0 m G h i n 6 like
foods. They nourish their read
erS-that is to say, good books
do. Some books are like trash,
they fill the mind and starve it at
the same time. Some books may
be good, but not good by them
selves; as a steady diet they
lack some important vitamlns-
like cornmneal, and lettuce, for
instance. And sometimes a man
or boy may read perfectly
good book and get nothing out
of it, because the mind just
won take it in. or the heart re-
| jectS it. Christians, even some
who read the Bible. may have
scraWny souls for any Of these
reasons.
Growing in Mind
A person who did nothing but
read the Bible day and night
would not be a good Christian,
just as a person who sat at the
table eating, day and night,
would be a mighty poor speci-
men physically. The Bible, how
ever, is like corn flakes in one
respect. a few flakes a day arc
hardly enought. Reading it wise
ly and regularly. with all the
help you can get, will surely
nouriSh you-yom mind. to be-
gin with. A book which appealed
to your emotions alone would
not be gOod book-it would be
like the cotton candy they sell
at county fairs. The Bible intro
duces you to great thoughts.
great truths. great people. Con-
slider Jesus: if He were the only
character in the Bible. it would
still be the greatest book in the
world because He is the great
est person in the world. A man
said of a great lady, ITO love
her is liberal education This
could be said more truly about
Jesus; one who comes to love
Him through study of the Bible,
IN which He is the central Fig
ure. will find-to use Paul S
words-that he is being trans
formed through the renewing of
his mind.
Growing in Spirit
But the Bible will especially
nourlSh the soul of the reader.
The Christian grows in spirit not
less than III mind. What this
means can be seen from that
famous passage in Timothy
3:15-l6. The sacred writings
Paul says, ARE able to instruct
you'-not guaranteed 10 do so,
for II you don't want to be in
structed you won't be.--to in
stJuct you for salvation through
faith Inspired Scripture. Paul
goes on to say. is profitable
fanong other ways for training
III righteousness. This does not
mean learning some code Of
conduct OF any set of rules. 1t
means becoming an expert in
the kind of living that Christ
shows US 1t means not merely
doing more ri 2 h things, it
means become a more right per-
son.
Two things are necessary for
growth, food and exercise. With
out the Bible. the Christian S
lfe may be active hit Il i not
healthy. It Is the nervous actiy1-
ty Of those who lack solid foods.
On the other hand. reading the
Bible or even studying It, with
out ever prac tlClng It, pro-
duces spiritual Indigestion. not
growth. Righteousness good
ness. straight-nesS as the old
Hebrews called it Comes by
faith; but faith calls for works
Just as food calls for exercise,
if we are to grow in strength.
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