Mother's Translation Of The Bible Was The Best!

The story is told that four preachers were once discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One preacher liked a particular version best because of its simple, beautiful English. Another preferred a more scholarly edition, because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek languages. Still another liked a contemporary version, because of its up-to-date vocabulary.

The fourth preacher was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I like my mother's translation the best." Surprised, the other three men said they didn't know his mother had translated the Bible. The preacher quickly replied, "Yes, she translated it into her life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw."

Instead of discussing translation preferences, this preacher reminded his fellow preachers that the most important focus should be learning God's Word and doing it (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV; James 1:22; 1 John 3:7; cf. Acts 1:1).

This was the top priority in Ezra's life. As a scribe, he studied the Law, obeyed it, and taught it to the Israelites (Ezra 7:10). For example, God commanded His people not to intermarry with neighboring nations who served pagan gods (Ezra 9:1-2). Ezra confessed the nation's sin to God (Ezra 9:10-12) and corrected the people, who then repented (Ezra 10:10-12).

Dear reader, let's follow the mother of the preacher in the above story along with Ezra's example, by not only seeking and teaching the Word of God, but translating it into the core of our daily life and living.

The best commentary on the Bible (other than the Bible itself), is a person who puts God's teachings into practice, for we may indeed be the only Bible that some people will ever read.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets