Philip Mauro (1859-1952) was a successful lawyer and had a knack for being part of the century’s most epic events. He was aboard the USS Carpathia that rescued the survivors of the Titanic (Leonardo didn’t make it) He prepared the legal briefs for the “Scopes Monkey Trial” and even got to witness to Thomas Edison about his faith in Jesus Christ. Mauro wrote a short essay entitled “Life in the Word”. In it, he shares how the word displays all the characteristics of life. I found this quote about God’s Word to be quite compelling:
“It has perennial freshness. It is non-obsolete and always contemporary. It is indestructible. It is a discerner, a “critic,” of hearts and minds (Heb. 4:2). It is remarkably translatable. It lodges in hearts and grows. It transforms other life.”
- It has a perennial freshness: when I traveled in the NHL, I loved to read my bible on flights. I was once asked by one of my teammates, “haven’t you finished that book yet!” I had to laugh, ‘bro, it doesn’t work like that.’ We’ve all had those verses we’ve read a hundred times, but for whatever reason, something new jumps off the page. The Bible is always fresh.
- It is non-obsolete and always contemporary: The older I get, the more I lose movie and song references to point to. An entire generation of young people have no idea what I’m talking about. Do you believe there are some people that have no idea who Forrest Gump is?! (Shame on you!) How incredible is the Bible, although thousands of years old, is still relevant to our lives today.
- It is indestructible: I’ve heard it said, ‘the word of God is like a nail, the harder you hit it, the deeper it goes’. The wicked Roman ruler Nero, used to hold extravagant parties in an area known as “Nero’s Circus”. He would torture Christians for entertainment and use some as human torches. The Roman Empire and Nero are long since gone, but Christianity and the Word live on. Now, in the exact location where Nero’s Circus stood, is the world’s largest church, St. Peter’s Basilica.
- It is a discerner, a “critic,” of hearts and minds: I’m not the handy guy. In fact, I once tried to hang a shelf. I thought it looked incredible. My wife, on the other hand, said it was crooked. She pulled out a ‘bubble level’ tool that revealed she was right. It was crooked. The Word of God becomes the level for our life. It tells us when our thoughts and actions are off. It is the standard.
- It is remarkably translatable: Truth is true whether we are in Indiana or India. Teams of Christians are working to get the Bible translated into every language by the year 2033.
- It lodges in hearts and grows: Skeptics like CS Lewis and Lee Strobel became passionate Jesus followers as the word of God took root in their hearts. It starts small like a mustard seed and grows and grows. Sprinkle some seed into someone today and let the word go to work.