Books That Feed You: Well Driven Nails

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Well Driven Nails

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Books That Feed You: Well Driven Nails

MP4 Video - 1080p (187.12 MB)
MP4 Video - 720p (112.86 MB)
MP3 Audio (3.54 MB)
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Reading can be an invaluable tool in gaining wisdom and knowledge.

Transcript

[Darris McNeely] It's summertime, kids are out of school. Our routines have changed. And maybe just maybe we have a little bit of extra time to do some reading. I'm a big reader. I pulled a book off of my shelf just recently, a book that I had had for over 30 years on my shelf. And I wanted to look up a topic that is of interest to me still, for a trip that I'm making in a few weeks. The book that I pulled off my shelf is called "The Discoverers." It was written by the late librarian of the Library of Congress, a man by the name of Daniel J. Boorstin. I bought this book over 30 years ago and read it and I've had it on my shelf. And you know what? I've decided to read it again, not just the chapter that I wanted to read in preparation for this trip, but because it's a fascinating book. It is a book that deals with human knowledge. And it's not just a history book or some might say a stale, dry history book, it's history from a human perspective, history with a lot of stories and history that actually helps us to understand the world. The first chapter goes into time and talks about calendars, and how time is made. It talks about exploration of people who have gone out from various countries to explore the world. It talks about the exploration of the human body. And that's where I wanted to kind of study up a little bit about the early knowledge about medicine and anatomy. And it goes on and on and on, and a wide range of topics and knowledge, those who discovered knowledge and discovered things, not only about the world and the universe but about the body and the mind. It's a fascinating book, a history man's search to know his world and himself. And why do I bring this up?

Well, I've published reading lists before that I have and, you know, reading is still something that we all do. And from time to time, I may bring back in other books that have meant something to me. This one I read over 30 years ago. Why would I read it again? Because there are some books that we read that feed us for a very long time. It's not just a mental cotton candy. It's not just, you know, popcorn that's got a lot of, you know, air in the middle of it. It's books with a lot of substance. And it's those types of books that I like to read because they feed me for a long time.

And it kind of fits in with what is said about books and something from the Scriptures, you probably know well the verse that is referenced at the very end of the book of Ecclesiastes 12 beginning in verse 11, where the writer says, "The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails." Now a goad is like a stick that you might pick up to, you know, a shepherd would take a stick to kind of poke his sheep along or farmer his cattle or other animals to get them to go where they wanna go. That's what a goad is. It says, "The words of a scholar are like well-driven nails, pounded in big nails that are going to hold something of substance for a very long time." It goes on, "They're given by one shepherd, and that Shepherd, of course, is God. And further," the writer says, "My son be admonished by these, of making many books, there is no end. And much study is worrying us to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter of the book ends fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." Again, a familiar passage of Scripture.

But a good book is something that will feed you for a long time. It is like a well-driven nail. It is pounded in to the wood, to the piece of furniture to the house and it's going to hold something together. A good book is like that. It will feed you for a long time. That's why I can take a book like this and I have several on my shelf that I don't mind reading a second time later in life, where I will learn even more than I read the first time. Think about your reading habits. Are they like well-driven nails?

Do they bring you closer to an understanding of the Great God of His purpose and of His plan for mankind and help to marry the knowledge that we have with the Bible with the knowledge of human experience that is available there and be able to put it all together in a right way. That's what a book will do. It's like a well-driven nail, a book that we will read, it will help drive together that knowledge of God, His way of life and His purpose for us.

And so, think about that in your reading habits. I might bring some more books back in later to show you other examples of books that can feed us for a very long time, well-driven nails.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.