Is The Bible A Part Of Our “Standard Equipment”?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesThere is no question that the Pony Express was a thrilling part of early American history (see video). From April 1860 until October 1861, this mail service ran from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California — a distance of almost 2,000 miles. The trip could be made in ten days. Eighty men galloped along the trail on 400-500 of the best horses that could be provided in that day and time.
To enhance the speed of the run, clothing was very light, saddles were extremely small and thin, and no weapons were carried. The horses wore small shoes or none at all. The mail pouches were flat and small in size (scroll down to bottom of page). Letters had to be written on very thin paper. It’s interesting to note that postage was $5.00 per ounce — a tremendous sum of money in those days.
Included in the twenty pounds of supplies for each rider, was a Bible. To the people who lived in those frontier days, God’s word was just as much a necessity, as was food and water. They recognized the need for daily searching the Word and giving heed to its teachings (Acts 17:11-NKJV; Romans 6:17-NKJV).
Similarly, our life is much like the Pony Express, in that we are galloping to our destination called heaven, delivering the “Good News“ of the gospel to others along the way (Acts 13:26-32-ESV; cf. Matthew 28:19-20-NKJV; Mark 16:15-16-NKJV; 2 Timothy 2:24-25-NKJV). In that journey, God has not left us without spiritual sustenance and guidance, providing us with the “standard equipment” of His Word — the Bible (Matthew 4:4-NKJV; Psalm 119:105-NKJV).
As we journey along our daily mail run, is the Bible a part of our “standard equipment”? (Ephesians 6:11-17-NKJV), and are we studying and making application of it? (2 Timothy 2:15-KJV; Hebrews 5:13-14-NKJV).