Bill Sali: “I rise to honor the greatest, most influential book known to man, the Holy Bible. November 18 through 25 is National…”

“I rise to honor the greatest, most influential book known to man, the Holy Bible. November 18 through 25 is National Bible Week, and it fittingly coincides with Thanksgiving. The Bible teaches us that we have very much to be thankful for. And although we ought to remind one another of this truth at all times, I am glad there is a time set aside for remembering our blessings. The Holy Bible teaches that we are all created by God in His image. And as such, each individual has a certain dignity that should be respected. One John 4:7-11 is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It says: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Elsewhere, in Matthew 16:24, Jesus tells his disciples that if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. I particularly like this verse because, coupled with the first passage from 1 John, it reminds me that I am to love God first, others second and myself third.”