Kimyal Tribe Receiving God's Word

"And we also thank God constantly for this,

that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us,

you accepted it not as the word of men

but as what it really is

the word of God,

which is at work in you believers"

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Check out this video of an Indonesian tribe, the Kimyal tribe, receiving a New Testament in their native language for the first time. Perhaps we have forgotten the significance of the Bible. Do I receive the Bible as the word of man, just a collection of writings from random guys throughout history with some nice things to say about God? Or, do I receive it as the word of God, in which God has condescended to finite humans, and is actively revealing himself in His very word?

It is incredible to consider that God has come to us and spoken. If God didn't come to us and speak, we would be lost, hopeless, living in the darkness. Yet, God so gracious and faithful, has revealed himself to us in His word. And His word is true, and His word is power. It is not just a collection of writings from men. God has spoken. God choosing to reveal himself and speak to a small, backstabbing, self-loving, disobedient punk like me is cause for joy. It's cause to eat, sleep and breath the Bible. It's cause to pour over it every day, to memorize it, to teach it, to know it. I pray that we would have a heightened sense of the true value and beauty of God's word, and that we would receive it not as mans word, but as what it really is, God's word.