My great-great-grandfather Cornelis deBruyn wrote a summary about his family’s dangerous crossing from the Netherlands to America in 1889. My grandpa John Volkema compiled a journal during his military service in WWI. We have an auditory account of my uncle Art Volkema’s service in WWII, and his survival when his ship was bombed by Kamikazes. My mom kept thirty-three years of diaries about her daily life. They knew the importance of words and wanted to pass stories down to future generations.

These dear relatives left a rich heritage to treasure. I will pass them on to my children and future grandchildren and beyond. It’s important we don’t forget the lessons of the past and they enrich our lives for the future. The most important thing about these accounts is the clear commitment to our Lord Jesus, and the faithfulness of God.

 
The written word was so important to God, that he gave us the Bible. It was recorded by over 40 authors who wrote during a 1,500-year period, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is regarded as a highly reliable book by Christians and historians alike.

God used words to create.

Genesis 1 – All God had to do was speak, and light was created, then countless other things formed at the sound of His voice.

Each author of the Bible wrote at the direction of the Holy Spirit who “breathed out” Scripture to him. Peter explains this process:

2 Peter 1:21 – “Prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

There are many references to writing, words, speaking and relaying messages in the Bible. It is amazing that the Holy Scriptures are God’s actual words for us to read. Many words were first passed on by way of songs, poetry and spoken word. He didn’t rely on speaking alone, which could evolve over years of repeating. God loves us so much that He revealed Himself to us in the Bible so we can have unchangeable written words to know Him intimately.

There are several places in the Bible where God talks about speaking and writing “it” out for future generations. Here’s a few. . .

Exodus 17:14 – “. . .Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write on this scroll as something to be remembered’. . .” God instructed Moses to write the account of the Israelite’s journeys for future generations to remember.

We can have complete faith in God’s word because He has proven Himself trustworthy. When Jesus came to earth, he fulfilled many prophecies from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel. . .”

God shows his concern for accurate speaking and writing to make things clear to people.

Habakkuk 2:2 – “Write down the revelation, and make it plain on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.”

God is the very essence of the words.

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

He writes on the tablets of our hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 – . . . “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

The apostle John was told to write his visions.

Revelation 19:9 – “the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. . . these are true words that come from God.’”

God is interested in what we speak and write. We need to let Him infuse His Holy Spirit through us so that we are conveying what He desires. We must be careful, because words can uplift, or they can tear down. Our words today are not the inspired word of God. The Bible is finished. But they are words given to us by the Spirit of God which can be used to inspire and encourage others to dig deeper into the Bible.

I am blessed with a legacy of faith and writing from relatives, and from God.