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Devotional: Historic Route 66

Davis Carman|April 12, 2017

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)

What If You Were Navigating A Route Across the US on Route 66?

Imagine you are about to travel the historic Route 66. Your plan is to set out from Chicago, Illinois, and drive all the way to Santa Monica, California. So you get a road map of the western United States and trace the route to get a clear sense of the bigger picture. You make note of certain points of interest where you plan to stop and take in the sights. You even read up on the history and background of some notable locales along the way, like the Chain of Rocks bridge crossing the Mississippi River, the restored Magnolia gas station museum in Shamrock, Texas, or Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Arizona.

Route 66 is famous in highway lore. But what else do you think of when you see that number?

“Route” – 66 Books of the Bible

It just so happens that the Bible is a collection of 66 books—all of which are God-breathed, without error, and completely trustworthy. As a matter of fact, when you compare the Bible to all other ancient writings, it is far and away the most reliable in terms of the number of early manuscripts still in existence. There are over twenty-four thousand ancient copies (in Greek and various languages) available of the New Testament compared to a meager 643 of Homer’s Iliad, which ranks second on the list. There is no doubt: You can be confident that the Scriptures we have today are accurate.

The 66 books of the Bible can be divided into several subsets. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The first 39 are often divided into 5 books of law, 12 history, 5 major prophets, 12 minor prophets, with 5 wisdom/poetry books in the middle. Notice the nice symmetry.

The 27 books of the New Testament are often divided into 4 Gospels, 1 history, 21 letters, and 1 book of prophecy.

Navigate the 66 Books of the Bible

It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the big picture of the Bible, and many groups and ministries offer different ways to study and comprehend the story told by Scripture. One simple but powerful approach is to divide the story into creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Answers In Genesis organizes the Bible story into seven parts: creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross, and consummation. Walk Thru the Bible has developed 77 motions to help the kinetic student remember the details of the Old Testament, plus another 77 motions for the New Testament.
Whatever method of organization you favor or find most helpful, you will get so much more out of any individual book of the Bible or single verse if you know how it fits into the whole storyline. You wouldn’t want to open God’s Word to some random place in the middle and try to figure out what it means out of context any more than you would want to find yourself in the middle of Kansas on Route 66 and try and make sense of where you are without road signs, a map, or GPS.
So map out the big picture of God’s epic book, get a sense of the overall storyline, and learn about the key points and themes of Scripture ahead of time. Then set out on an amazing journey through the greatest story ever told.

Happy reading!

Father, your written Word, which we call the Bible, is inspired, inerrant, and completely reliable. It is true, trustworthy, and sanctifying. Help me to meditate on your commands day and night. Transform me as I read your words so that I may live in obedience to the precepts in those precious pages.

Walking by faith and enjoying the homeschooling adventure of a lifetime!
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Davis Carman
© 2017 Davis Carman
Apologia.com

Davis is the president of Apologia Educational Ministries, the #1 publisher of Creation-based science and Bible curriculum. He is the author of four illustrated children’s books designed to help kids learn a biblical worldview. He believes that if there was ever a time to homeschool, it is now! Davis’s four books include: Good Morning, Godbased on Deuteronomy 6, A Light for My Pathan ABC book based on Psalm 119, In the Beginning, based on the Creation account in Genesis, and Psalms to Know Early.

If you enjoyed this devotional by Davis Carman, enjoy reading his devotional entitled Isaiah: The Granddaddy of the Major Prophets.