Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Lost Library

Little Boy Looking Rows of Books on Library Shelves
Little Boy Looking Rows of Books on Library Shelves

When my daughters were little one of our favorite things to do was go to the library...
I still enjoy a trip to the library with my grandkids every time I travel up to see them...
Little Boy Reading Book Beside Library Shelf
Little Boy Reading Book Beside Library Shelf


My favorite section is the historical novels and classics.

What about you?

Imagine if one day you showed up at the library, only to find your favorite books reduced to a pile of ashes.

Centuries ago, that is what happened when thousands of books at the library of Alexandria caught fire. Alexandria was the place to do research in the ancient world. On a fateful day in 47 BC, Julius Caesar set fire to his ships in the Alexandrian harbor to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The fire soon spread to the docks and the naval arsenal, ultimately destroying 400,000 of the library's precious scrolls.

Such a tragedy shows just how perishable written materials can be. This makes the preservation of our Bible such a marvel.

The Bible: Still Life by Vincent van Gogh
The Bible: Still Life

The Word of God has survived book-burnings, riots, revolutions, persecutions, and catastrophes. Yet scholars tell us that the manuscripts have been accurately preserved through millennia of copying.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16) God inspired the writing of Scripture, and has promised to preserve it through the centuries. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8)
Next time you open your Bible, take a moment to reflect on how precious it is, and thank God for keeping it safe for you.-- Dennis Fisher

Thank you, Lord, for Your precious Word,
And for its message I have heard;
No other book do I revere,
No other counsel hold so dear. -- Clair Hess



Mimi

Referrences:Our daily bread, allposters

13 comments:

Cathy said...

I will always remember my mother taking me downtown to a little library. I loved that post, Mimi. Thank God for His precious word to us.

Dawn said...

The four girlies and I go to the library every Wednesday molrning for story time, crafts, and picking out books. Such a great time. I'll never forget my first library card - what a thrill for a girl who loved and loves to read!

I think it's Kate looking up at Uncle Kev.

Unknown said...

We like Historical readings around here This was an interesting post. Have a lovely weekend. Lisa

Unknown said...

Hey Mimi, I haven't been by here in a while! Great post! I just did a shown and tell post about an old Spanish Bible given to me. I just love sifting through it, smelling the musty pages and wondering just who has used this Bible in the past.
I love reading historical novels along with parenting books or books on finance.

Tracy said...

I love reading so the library was such a blessing for me when i was younger. I also took my sons to Library readings when they were small. I thank you for this post. The bible is such a precious gift.

Brit. (lille meg) said...

Thank you for sharing this post!
Yes, the word of God is LIFE!
Tonight I shall have a meeting in my house, a bible group.

Anonymous said...

I love the library!! Excellent post about the Bible :-)

Kate

~Red Tin Heart~ said...

Mimi, The library is my favorite place to go. My daughter used to get so aggravated because I took her there about 3 times a week. But she learned how to do research and was ahead of her peers because of it. My boys always loved to go. My oldest son's favorite place to go is the library to. I have a huge collection of books and if they burned I would cry!
Great post. xoxo Nita

Melissa said...

It is phenomenal, isn't it? Still I think those who hand-write their own copies of the Bible are wise - God preserves the Bible through the efforts of His people.

j said...

MiMi, this is the first blog that I have read this morning and what a way to start the day! I take my Bible for granted, forget that there are those who are no allowed access to it. I don't pick it up regularly enough at times to allow God's Word to guide my life and find it often after I have brought turmoil into my life through the flesh. Thank you Honey, for the reminder of how precious that book is in my hands, as opposed to sitting on a shelf!

Jen, soon to be 37 on the 17th - as you requested to know!!! :^D

~~Deby said...

I like the library too...and the idea of not having a Bible one day is frightening, oh that I have hidden enough in my heart to
keep me refreshed....
I am most thankful for the WORD of God...it is alive and soothes, and encourages the soul...it is our map for life.
Deby

Susan said...

Hey Grammie,

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Thanks for stopping by today.

This post was really good. I loved the little poem at the end by Clair Hess!

Thank God for the WORD!

"I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word." Psalm 119: 16

Blessings♥

Jodi said...

The preservation of God's Word is an amazing thing in itself ~ clearly indicative of God's protection. Voddie Baucham has a fiery sermon entitled Why I Believe the Bible. He goes into great detail of the Bible's history as a book. Great sermon.

I still mostly hang out in the children's section of the library ~ lol. ;o)