Short Story inspired by the sermon
Can We Trust the Bible?
In a quiet village surrounded by wheat fields and oak trees lived a young carpenter named Thomas. He was a good worker and an honest man, but he often wondered what his life was truly meant for. Each evening after his work was done, he would sit on a wooden bench outside his small house and watch the sun slip behind the hills. He felt that there must be more to life than simply working and sleeping.
One autumn evening, an elderly traveler passed through the village. His coat was worn, and he carried a small leather-bound Bible in his hand. Thomas offered the man water and a place to rest. As they sat together, the traveler opened the Bible and read aloud, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Thomas listened carefully. The words felt different from anything he had heard before.
“What does it mean that Scripture is inspired by God?” Thomas asked.
The old traveler smiled gently. “It means the words did not begin with men. They were breathed out by God Himself. As it says, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Thomas leaned forward. “Then these words carry God’s authority?”
“They do,” the traveler replied. “Jesus Himself said that not the smallest letter of God’s law will pass away until all is fulfilled.”
The fire crackled beside them as night deepened. The traveler turned a few pages and read again:
“How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers. Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears fruit in its season.”
Thomas sat silently. He realized that he had spent much of his life listening to the voices around him—neighbors, traders, and wandering storytellers—but he had never truly listened to God’s Word.
“Then God is inviting us to live by His story,” Thomas said slowly.
“Yes,” the traveler replied. “And when we place ourselves under His authority, His Word shapes us, corrects us, and equips us for the good works He prepared for us.”
That night Thomas could hardly sleep. The traveler’s words echoed in his mind. If Scripture was truly breathed by God, then it was not simply a book—it was an invitation.
The next morning, before the traveler left, Thomas asked him one final question.
“What should I do next?”
The old man placed the Bible into Thomas’s hands. “Begin reading it. Not quickly, but thoughtfully. Meditate on it. Let it speak to your life.”
After the traveler departed, Thomas started a new habit. Each morning before his tools touched wood, he opened the Bible and read a small portion. Sometimes the words taught him. Sometimes they corrected him. Sometimes they challenged him in ways that made him uncomfortable.
But slowly, something changed.
He became more patient with difficult customers. He helped neighbors without expecting payment. When conflicts arose in the village, people began asking Thomas for advice.
Years later, a young boy asked him why his life seemed so steady and fruitful.
Thomas pointed to the Bible resting on his workbench.
“Because these words are not just words,” he said. “They are God-breathed. When you let them guide your life, you become like a tree planted by streams of water.”
Then he asked the boy a question he once asked himself:
“How will you respond to God’s invitation to live for His story and under His authority? And what step will you take to begin studying His Word?”
The boy looked down at the open pages, and for the first time, he began to read.
Comments