260

There are 365 days in a year, 366 in a leap year. Then there is the number 260.

There is also the number 1,189; which if divided by 365 gives us 3.25 - let's round it up to an even 4.

As you read this, the very moment you read this, there are men and women risking their lives to bring a precious gift to others, a gift which we in the West take for granted, a gift that Christians in the West take for granted. Some of the risk involves living in harsh conditions, exposure to disease, unsanitary environments, civil war, famine, and brigands. Others risk arrest for transporting and distributing the precious gift, and if arrested they face torture, imprisonment, and death. Yes, as you are reading this there are such women and men in the world; they are not in comfort, they are not in safety, and they are not certain about what tomorrow may bring.

These men and women have always been among us, for the past twenty centuries they have traveled this world in the midst of myriad cultures, languages, governments, and peoples. Most of their names have not been recorded, many of them have died isolated deaths with no earthly person to provide solace in their dying moments - but none of them suffered or died in vain. They suffered on behalf of others to provide a priceless gift, a gift which we in the West take for granted. 

The priceless gift these men and women paid for is the Bible; translating it, printing it, conveying it, distributing it, proclaiming it - we who speak English have our Bibles because centuries ago others paid dearly to translate it and print it and distribute it - and now we merchandise it, make it a profit center, and much worse...we don't read it, we don't know it, we don't treasure it. We treat the Bible the way we treat designer jeans, at least in terms of marketing it; while we might wear the jeans, we seldom use the Bible. 

Luther, who risked his life to translate the Bible into German, lamented the likelihood that one day people would read everything but the Bible - he was right. I know people who can tell me all about books written by a popular religious author but who can't talk to me about the Bible - these are church-going people, these are professing Christians, these are folks often raised in church - how oh how can this be?

No other book transmits the Person of God and Christ as the Bible; no other book washes our hearts and minds and spirits as does the Bible, no other book has the Bread of Life residing in it as does the Bible, and no other book trains our minds to think and our hearts to feel as God thinks and feels and sees as does the Bible. And yet...and yet...we are strangers to its pages, foreigners to its drama, aliens to its thoughts...what should be the atmosphere of our lives is instead air that we are unaccustomed to breathing. 

The New Testament consists of 260 chapters, if you will read only one chapter per day you will have read the entire New Testament in 2014. Both Old and New Testaments consist of 1,189 chapters; if you read just 4 chapters per day you will have read the entire Bible in 2014. Whether is it 260 or 1,189...isn't it time to begin your journey?