Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

19 January 2026

Reading From Genesis 22-24

“Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

—Genesis 23:3-6

     I believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God.  The principles contained within it are true and timeless.  It used to be that historians doubted that the Hittites were a real people group in the Middle East because the only mention of them was in the Old Testament and no other ancient literary or archaeological evidence of them had been found. 

     In 1834, French scholar Charles Texier discovered the first Hittite ruins known to the modern world, but no one knew they were from that ancient empire.  It wasn’t until 1884 in Turkey that William Wright found an inscription which identified them as such.  Fast forward to 1887 when diplomatic correspondence was found in Egypt between Pharoah and the Hittite Empire. 

     For hundreds of years, the only evidence for the existence of the Hittites was in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.  That means that in all that time, the truthfulness of these biblical mentions had to be accepted on faith.  This is a vital principle for your spiritual wellbeing.  You must choose to accept the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God for your life on faith, a belief and trust in God who is unseen, rather than because science has proven it to be true.  It is a matter of faith first.  The Bible tells us what God did.  Science attempts to explain how He did it.

“Magnificent and Benevolent Father, Your Word the Bible is a priceless treasure.  It brings spiritual and physical life to me.  When I am down, You use it lift me up in a way that nothing else can.  I praise and exalt Your holy Name.  Be exalted above all the Earth.  Thank You that You are guiding scientists to thousands of archaeological digs, physicists to ponder theories which point to You, and literary experts who work with manuscript evidence of Your Majesty.  I am in awe of You and Your work.  I pray that the evidence would bolster the faith of my brothers and sisters around the globe.  Protect their hearts and minds.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your Word is truth.  It is in the Name of Jesus Christ I write and pray these things.  Amen.”

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

—John 17:17

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

—Romans 1:17

Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.

—Psalm 119:89