There is a story of the lost and found column of a church paper listing among the lost and found items: "One Bible, King James Version, with no name in it. If not claimed within 15 days, it will turned over to the librarian."
This could evoke several questions such as: "How long had it been lost?" or "How long was it before they missed it?" Would they have a good idea as to where to look for it? Of course, many of us have several versions of it. This should be helpful, but it can be confusing. If our knowledge of God and our understanding of his will and purposes for us is poor, we had better be reaching for our Bible. It is God's revelation of himself and his purposes for the crowning glory of his creation-man. A God that created not only the physical-material universe but also moral and spiritual values. He is a God of love and mercy: such love that he lived in the person of his only begotten son, Jesus, and thus experienced human life with all it's stresses, strains and temptations. That is what makes the Bible such an unusual book-it is God speaking to man. If he listens, he learns about himself and where he stands in the scheme of creation. If he obeys God, he will find life to be a grand and glorious experience as he works out God's purposes for him. We have not been given life that we may satisfy the lusts and appetite of the flesh or to squander its material resources. God has made us in his own image (morally and spiritually) that we may honor and glorify him by our worship of him and by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, as the Savior-Redeemer of mankind from his sins, thereby reconciling man unto himself. If that is not the principal message of our preaching, we have "lost" our Bible.
If there is a let down in morals today, it is because we have left the Bible unopened in our homes. Nothing will do more for present day strains and stresses, fears and anxieties as a simple knowledge of and acceptance of the Bible for everyday living. There is a story of a little boy asking his play mate what his grandmother was doing as she sat and was reading the Bible. The play mate answered, "I think she may be cramming for final exams." We dare not wait until most of life is over to learn God's message to us. Sadly, I have found many people have their mind made up about what to believe or not believe regarding religion regardless of what the Bible says. Do they not realize their eternal destiny is determined by their own choice as to whether they accept Jesus as the son of God and as their Lord and Savior? Jesus wept on his way to Jerusalem, not because he would be crucified within a week but because he knew many of the people for whom he was dying would reject him as their Savior. The Pharisees were punctual in keeping the tradition of the elders and their religious rituals, but they did not love God, nor were they concerned about the poor, sick and the outcasts of society. Jesus said, "In vain do they worship Me." Matthew 15:9. They had, in effect, lost the message of their Scriptures.
The Bible has the answer to our problems-personal, family, church, national and world. We have not found the answer to many of our problems because we do not understand God's word. We understand the moral teaching but have some problem with spiritual values. Don't lose your Bible.