When I was a boy, in Western Oklahoma, we had an "old adage" that was quite popular: "You can tell the character of a man by the way he treats his dog."  Our experience showed us that there was much truth in that statement, but I have since found a far more accurate measure of a man. The best measure of a man is how he treats his Bible!  A man may live in obedience to the laws of the land, stand on the constitution, defend the flag and be a good neighbor, husband, father and still be a miserable failure in the really important considerations of life.

     Solomon, writing about the real purpose and meaning of life in Ecclesiastes, wrote in the last chapter: "This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man", Eccl. 12:13.  I think it is fine that we highly prize the constitution of this great nation, but we must recognize that there is a far greater document!  Just read with me as the apostle Paul writes of the Bible, how and why it came to us: "For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.  But we received, not the spirit o the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things tht were freely given to us by God.  Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words", 1 Cor. 2:11-13.  As this passage shows, the only way we can know God and the things of God is to look into His word.

     ONLY THE BIBLE WILL ENDURE:  For more than two centuries, this country has flourished under the benevolence of our great constitut-ion.  But that good document will fail, for it is of the world, 2 Pet. 3:10-13.  But there stands a far more glorious document, the Bible, that will transcend the grave and abide forever.  The Lord Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away...He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day", Mt. 24: 35; Jno. 12:48.

     The inspired apostle wrote, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that  the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work", 2 Tim. 3:16,17.  The manner in which you treat your Bible reveals your love and reverence for it as the word of God -- which it is: "We thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe", 1 Thes. 2:13.  Because the Bible is the actual word of God, it is "living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword", Heb. 4:12.  While other documents become "outdated", that can never happen with the Bible.  It speaks to every generation: "The word of the Lord abideth forever", 1 Pet. 1:25.  As you accept the authority of the Bible as final and conclusive, you show reverence for its Author -- the God of heaven!  If you accept the Book as the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, you will walk in accord with its teaching and cherish its promises.

     HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR GOD?  The way you treat your Bible reveals the way you treat your God.  Notice how the word came to us: "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth...For he spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast", Psa. 33:6-9.  If you neglect your Bible, you neglect God.  God dwells in our hearts by faith, and because "faith comes by hearing the word of God", Rom. 10:17, then God dwells in us proportionately with how we receive His word, the Bible.  If you allow the world to crowd out the Bible from your life, you have allowed it to crowd out God.

     The Bible is not some abstract document with little relevance to our daily lives, it is a positive and practical guide.  As the psalmist wrote, "Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Jehovah: Teach me thy statutes...Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path", Psa. 119:11,12,105.  God speaks to us through His word, and if we have any respect for Him, we will listen to what He says.  As Jesus pointed out, when we reject His word, we reject God, Lk. 10:16.

     The apostle John wrote, "This is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin", 1 Jno. 1:5-7.  How do you treat your God?  Because God is light, we must listen to His word, and "walk in the light," if we would please Him in our lives.

     HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR NEIGHBOR?  The way you treat God and your Bible also reveals how you treat your fellowman.  The whole fabric of civilization is built upon the principles of justice and equity set forth in your Bible.  The highest moral concepts of social behavior are set forth in God's great book, the Bible.  These principles determine the moral fibre of the peoples of every civilized land in the world.  To refuse the Bible is to refuse the basic principles that fuse the fabric of society into a community.

     "Who is my neighbor?"  When the lawyer asked that question, Jesus replied with the story of "The Good Samaritan", Lk. 10:27-37.  The man who was robbed, beaten and left half-dead by the side of the road was ignored by a Priest and a Levite, ;but a Samaritan stopped to help.  A Samaritan -- a man of a despised race and false religion, Jno. 4, was neighbor to the man who needed help.  Jesus concluded by saying, "Go, and do thou likewise."  The Bible declares, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life", Jno. 3:16.

     Just as God loved a world that was in rebellion to Him, and sent a Savior for them, so He expects us to love our neighbor -- not just the lovable ones, but the unlovable and ungrateful ones, also.  That is the mark of a real man!  Jesus tells us, "Love your enemies", Mt. 5:44.  And He set the great example, as He was hanging on the cross and looked down on those who had put Him there.  He prayed for them, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do", Lk. 23:34.  There is the attitude of a real man!

     HOW DO YOU TREAT THE WORLD?  How we treat our Bible will also reveal the way we think about this world, and the world which is to come.  If we are so wrapped up in the things of this world that we can't spend time in the world to come, then we are like those of whom Paul wrote, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungod-liness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteous-ness; because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them...They glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened", Rom. 1:18-21.

     The way we treat the Bible discloses the measure of our love for lost souls.  If we accept the gospel as "the power of God unto salvation" Rom. 1:16, then we will naturally want to share that "good news" with those who are lost.  Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost", Lk. 19:10, and if we really believe the Bible, we will acknowledge that is our mission, also.  As Peter wrote, "For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps", 1 Pet. 2:21.  It was the natural thing for Jesus to want to share with others the will of God and His promises.  It should also be just as natural for us.  "But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak", 2 Cor. 4:13.  Just as it is natural to breathe, eat, sleep, it should be natural to speak to others about Christ and His will for our lives.

     The way you treat your Bible also reveals your nobility before God. The Bible speaks of the Bereans, "Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" Acts 17:11.  We can each measure our nobility by the exact same standard. Maybe you can tell something of the character of a man by the way he treats his dog, for there is some truth in that old adage.  :But it is a moral certainty that you can tell a man's character by the way he treats his Bible, the way he treats his God, the way he treats his neighbor and the way he treats the world.