Boxing Icon Manny Pacquiao: Life Is Too Short. Read the Bible, the Manual to Life

Filipino Senator Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his WBA title twice last year, defeating Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman and proving his prowess in the boxing ring even at the age of 41. But to Pacquiao, there is a greater passion than being an iconic boxing champ, and that is spreading the Word of God.

Pacquiao attributes his success in the ring to God and hard work, and he's always been vocal about his Christian faith.

As a member of the Philippine Senate, Manny Pacquiao authored the law declaring the last Monday of January as the National Bible Day in the Philippines. People from all pillars of society - the government, entertainment, business, and the church - unite on this day to celebrate the Holy Bible as the cradle of the Christian faith. And 100,000 Bibles were printed for this event to be given away to the different sectors of society.

At the National Bible Day event this week, Pacquiao shared his testimony and reminded everyone of the power of the Word of God. He also challenged them to share the Bible as often as they can, especially at this time of so many calamities in the Philippines and around the world.

World-renowned apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias says the time is right to preach the gospel.

"Natural calamities are causing us to realize how fragile we are. God brings a person to a time when they need to realize that I can't do that, God does that," Dr. Zacharias said.

Bishop Efraim Tendero, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, says they have also marked 2020 as the Year of the Bible, urging 600 million Christians worldwide to spread the Word of God.

He said, "We want to have that recognition of the role of the Bible in the community life, family life, and national life."

Pacquiao addressed the audience saying, "The Bible is the only book we need to discover the foundational truth of how to know and walk with God."

Pacquiao was saddened with the sudden death of friend, Kobe Bryant. He hopes reports that Bryant received Christ are true. "Life is too short in this world. So make sure you have a personal relationship to God. You have a strong relationship and you obey God," he said.

Again, he emphasized the importance of reading God's Word, "Read the Bible because it will lead you to all truth. The Bible is the manual to life."