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The preceding material was written and produced by Dr. Harold J. Sala. All rights reserved. Reproduction for sale orfinancial profit is prohibited. Permission to reprint may be obtained by contacting Guidelines International Ministries,

Box G, Laguna Hills, CA 92654 USA. E-mail at guidelines@guidelines.org.

Subject: Bible

Release date: March 10, 2014

THE BOOK OF FORTUNE

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

Doctoral dissertations traditionally have been an investigation into something never before researched, something that hasbecome more and more difficult with the proliferation of information. When Vido Mati, a 24 year-old Ph.D. candidate fromBarcelona, Spain, had to find an appropriate subject, he considered writing about an obscure eighteenth century philosopherwhose surname was Hierro.

As Vido began his research in the archives of the University library, he discovered a document written by the oldphilosopher in the spring of 1741. A paper written in his own hand, yellowed with age, appeared to be his actual last will and

testament. It was tucked into one of the books which had been neglected on the shelf for two-and-a-half centuries.Vido's heart raced with excitement as he read the words, stating that all his worldly goods and personal effects wouldbe left to the man who should study his writings, which he felt had been sorely neglected by his fellow citizens.

Vido lay claim to whatever might still be there; and to his surprise and joy, he discovered that there were unclaimedassets of more than $250,000 USD. Furthermore, a Spanish court upheld his claim, and he received the inheritance.

What he lay claim to was there for anyone to take, a neglected fortune that had escaped the notice of people for along, long time.

There may well be a volume in your home or library which contains even greater resources than the will of theSpanish philosopher, Hierro. It's a Bible. Within the pages of that book you will find the answers to the three most pressingquestions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? And where do I go after I die? It also answers the most perplexing issueconfronting people today--how can I find a purpose for my life?

It's a love story telling how God created humankind to have fellowship with Him, yet as our forebears turned theirbacks toward God and walked away from the Garden, conflict and difficulties came. And then, in His own time, God sent HisSon to show us the way home.

When I went into China for the first time in 1979, I was with an international group of people who were interested in

seeing what life was like behind the Bamboo Curtain, which was slowly letting the rest of the world see inside. Many youngpeople wanted to try out their English skills. A young man in his early 20s approached a British tourist and began to ask thetypical questions: Where do you live? What is your life like? Do you have a car? But then he asked one which wasn't on thethree-most-asked questions list: "Do you have a Bible?" Actually, he was hoping that he could get one from the foreigner, asat that time getting a Bible meant registering with the government.

Nonplussed, the visitor said, "Yes, I have one." Then the conversation went like this:"Do you have it with you?""No. It's at home in my library.""Do you read it?""Well, not really."Puzzled, the lad then asked, "If you have a Bible, why don't you read it?"You can have an ignorance of many things in the world and get along quite well. You can trust the experts. You can

get a condensed version or hit the Internet for a synopsis of a few paragraphs. But a knowledge of who God is, what is theplan He has for your life, and how to reach heaven's shore, is valuable beyond price.

Remember the will that was tucked into the dusty volume of a philosopher's ruminations? Within the pages of the

Bible, you will find God's will and purpose for your life. Discover it and grow rich in grace and wisdom.

Resource reading: Isaiah 40:1-8