Islands of Treasure
Certainly one of the great joys of parenthood is the myriad ways in which your children remind you of the joys of childhood. As our six year old son is learning to read, I am reminded of the wonder I felt when I first became literate.
My wife is a great teacher, and like all great teachers at times can get discouraged. Many times she would despair at Joseph’s apparent lack of interest. I on the other hand recognized the father in the son, and pointed out that he would read when he decided he was interested, but not until. And that decision made, he would just do it – start reading all at once.
So, I wasn’t suprised to recognize the sounds of “Treasure Island” in an excited young voice one recent evening. Hearing tales of the Admiral Benbow Inn, Benn Gunn, and Long John Silver brought back great memories from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure. And the thrill, anticipation, and passion to discover the written word came back too. Despite being a lifelong ravenous reader, it was funny that it had been impossible for me to estimate the feeling I would receive at hearing my own son read to me. What pleasure to come for him! A world of adventure, learning, exploration, information, and unlimited knowledge awaits. And greatest wonder of all, that perfect gift from God, the Bible.
So often, it is too easy for us to neglect time with God through reading His Word. How thankful we are to be that God has chosen the written word to preserve His will, to communicate His mind, and instruct His plan.
The Bible is indeed the perfect map. The Psalmist recognized this fact as he 
praised “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) In fact the book of Psalms opens by describing the relationship between the blessed man and his Bible. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)
Whenever I have spent too many days in other study – even study about the Bible, as in archaeology, evidences, commentary, etc – it is always an amazing pleasure to return to the actual Word itself. There truly is no substitution for the God breathed Word (2 Timothy 3:16). All other materials pale in comparison, and none is capable of renderingour perfection (2 Timothy 3:17).
While there indeed are islands of treasure to be found in many of man’s literary works, there is no perfection found in any but God’s Word. Let us dwell in these scriptures:
- Psalm 19:7
- 2 Samuel 22:31
- Deuteronomy 6:5-7
- Matthew 5:48
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Authors, Gregg Alexander
on February 5th, 2009
Amen!
Thanks Gregg.