Wise Leaders Read The Bible
My words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight (Psalm 49:3, NLT).
Dear friends:
Great leaders, who are wise, regularly turn to the Bible.
Feeling uneasy one evening before a major battle in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur turned to his Bible, which was his regular practice, and read until he felt at peace.
Then the general went to bed and slept soundly, even though the battle the next day would play a significant role in the course of World War II.
General George Washington, our first President and father of our country, said, “It is impossible to rightly govern… without God and the Bible.” The first time I visited his Mount Vernon home, the guide took me to the place where morning and evening General Washington knelt to read his Bible and pray.
Another general, Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President, said, “I believe in the Holy Scriptures, and whoso lives by them will be benefited thereby…”
General Andrew Jackson, who became our seventh President, in referring to the Bible, stated, “That book, Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests.”
Why did these and thousands of other leaders, and also scholars and vast numbers of lay people, choose the Bible? Why not Shakespeare, or a great novel, or a discourse on philosophy?
The answer is clear: The Bible is God’s Word to man. It has the power to bring peace, happiness, comfort and guidance as no other book in the world can do. Generals Washington, MacArthur, Grant and Jackson knew this, as have many great leaders and others down throughout history.
If the Bible is so vital that even great leaders turn to it in times of crisis, all of us should no less turn to it in our everyday lives.
About itself, the Bible says:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT).
“All your words are true” (Psalm 119:160, NLT).
“Every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5, NLT).
“The Scriptures cannot be altered” (John 10:35, NLT).
“Forever, O LORD, your word stands firm in heaven” (Psalm 119:89, NLT).
Thank God for giving us the Bible. Through it, God has revealed Himself, His own thoughts, attributes, commandments, promises, plan of redemption, and the future, as well as many other things.
I cannot imagine what life would be like without God’s holy inspired Word.
Thankfully, we do not have to find out.
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
About the Author
The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world’s population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, “JESUS,” which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 839 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.7 billion people in 228 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to “Touch, Teach and Train” a group of 5 million new house churches around the world 24/7/365 at http://www.globalpastorsnetwork.org.
Copyright (c) 2003, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
