The Flying Bible

“…but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

 (Psalm 1:2)

Teaching youth Sunday school can often be tough. You honestly only have a certain amount of time before you lose their attention or they lose consciousness. Especially when the lesson is on the importance of spending time reading what many of them think is an ancient and outdated book that they can't understand. 

One Sunday morning I was teaching a class of  10th- 12th grade, youth boys like I had for  years. With questions like “Why does the Bible matter” those boys looked like street gang members who were forced to take part in a knitting class. Eyes rolling back in their heads, yawns and head bobs gave an indication that they couldn't care less. 

While in that situation, something came to mind, a little odd and uncomfortable for me, but I felt as though it was Spirit lead. I took my Bible and threw it like a football across the room. As it hit the concrete floor ever boy had their eye on that Bible as it slide to the wall on the opposite end of the room. Then every head turned to me, eyes and mouths wide open, looked like they had seen a squirrel with four heads. They were murmuring amongst themselves, greatly shocked that their Sunday school teach seemed to have just snapped. 

I looked at the boys and said, “Did that bother y'all, that I threw the Bible?” Their reply was a resounding “YES!! You’re not suppose to treat the Bible like that!!” So I stood up, went across the room picked up my Bible, brought it back to my seat, laid it in the floor and stood on it. Jumped up and down on it a couple of times. I thought they would lose their ever-loving minds. Gasp went up, some said “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, THAT’S THE BIBLE!!” I picked it up, dusted it off and sat down.

I told them that the book I had in my hand was no different than any other book as far as,  It had a leather outside cover, it was filled with paper pages and the pages had ink printing on them. 

I asked them “What makes this book unique?” They thought for a moment and one said, “Because it’s the word of God”. He was correct. I then asked the boys, “Why did it bother you so bad that I threw, stood on and jumped on this book?”  Again one said, “It's the word of God”.  So I asked them all, “Is this book the word of God?” They all quickly sad “Yes!” Then I told them, “I would bet that not one of you have picked up your copy of God’s word and studied it this week. Some of you haven't read it in a month. Some may have never read it at all and possibly some of you don't even know where your’s is. But yet it bothered you that I threw what you call the word of God”. Needless to say for the rest of the class time they were wide awake and attentive. 

What have you done with God’s word? Do you study it? Does it make a difference in your life? When is the last time you picked it up? Do you know where it is? 

Psalm 1 tells us that the person who is blessed, meditates on God’s word day and night. That doesn't mean they sit and read all day, it means that what they study, they think about, they apply it in their lives and they allow God to word through it to change their lives. It also says that that person is like a tree planted by streams of water and that that person will bear fruit and prosper. 

Are you missing out on the fruit bearing and prospering? Are you struggling in your faith and your walk with God? Pick up His word and make studying it a vital part of your life. 

Vern