Bill Keane, creator of the “Family Circus” cartoon strip, told of a time when he was penciling one of his cartoons.  His son Jeffy walked up, looked at his dad’s drawing and said, “Daddy, how do you know what to draw?” He replied, “God tells me.”  Jeffy questioned, “Then why do you keep erasing parts of it?”

What a smart kid!  Whether he meant it or not, Jeffy understood a concept many adults are still struggling to learn.  His mind hadn’t yet been clouded with thoughts, opinions, and other kinds of “baggage.”  He simply understood that if God had really told his Dad what to draw (which God hadn’t), it would be wrong to change it and go against it.

Too often people tear out the Bible pages they don’t like, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.  Maybe it’s because it describes something sinful they are already doing.  Maybe it’s because they don’t want to accept the destination of unfaithful family members who have passed on.  Maybe they just hate God and the Bible.  No matter the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that we will be responsible for knowing and obeying this information (John 12:48; James 1:22-25).

Since every word of Scripture is given by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and since the Bible gives us everything we need to know for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), it is vital that we keep all the pages of Scripture firmly where they belong.  God never has and never will want people to add or take away from His words (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:36; Joshua 1:7-8; Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Galatians 1:9-10; Revelation 22:18).  We must always obey the commands in Scripture.  Jeffy understood this concept.  Do you?

Brett Petrillo