A young man once dreamed that when he opened his Bible to read, every page was blank! In amazement, he found that all copies of the Bible in his home were blank. He rushed to his neighbor's house, only to find his Bibles also blank. His fear grew yet stronger as he discovered that every Bible he found was entirely blank!

He decided to begin reassembling a copy of the Bible by gathering textual quotations found in other books, but he found only blank spaces wherever any Scripture quotation had been previously.

The young man awoke from his dream in a cold sweat. What a relief it was to discover that this was only a dream!

How would our personal, family, and church life be different if there were no Bible? What would our nation and the world be like without God's Word?

Do you treasure your Bible above all other possessions? Are you actively reading and prayerfully studying your Bible?

We must pray and work to bring the Word of God to all people, for hearing, reading, and learning the truths of the Bible is a great privilege. God calls to us in His Word to repent from our sins and to seek our salvation in Jesus Christ. All those who have heard God's Word are responsible for obeying it; God will ask each of us what we have done with His Word and invitation.

While it is a great blessing to hear and read God's Word and to learn the truths of the Bible in our mind, we need more than this to be saved. Due to our sinful fall in Paradise and our continual sinful desires, we are not interested in loving and serving God. As sinners, we are interested in serving ourselves, sin, and the lusts and desires of this world. Therefore, we need God the Holy Spirit to irresistibly apply the truths of God's Word in our hearts.

What happened to Old Testament Israel when it departed from God's Word? What lesson has history revealed about nations that depart from God's law? What will happen to our nation if we reject the Bible and do not follow God's law?

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

- Luke 12:47-48