Give me the Bible.
Give me the Bible, holy message shining; Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way/Precept and promise, law and love combining/Till night shall vanish in eternal day
Give me the Bible, when my heart is broken/When sin and grief have filled my soul with fear/Give me the precious words by Jesus spoken/Hold up faith’s lamp to show my Savior near. (Hymn 272)
I heard a statistic on a local radio station that said people who are using their electronic devices as their Bible are more likely to look something up. However, the study found, the depth of study using an electronic device is notably less.
Now I’m NOT saying someone with a physical Bible book is more righteous than someone who uses their phone or iPad. NEVER. There were years that I did not risk taking my Bible to church because of having an ever-present infant/toddler in my lap would would like nothing more than to gum on it or turn the pages and inevitably ruin my precious book. However I am (for the most part) past that phase and personally find that when I bring my own Bible to church with me, my study is enriched by the verses AROUND what I am being directed to read.
A quick for instance. Let’s say the scripture reading at church today was Hebrews 11:1, 2 (it actually was).
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By Faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
Well, I was waiting for the reading to commence so I started reading ahead, my eye caught verse 4 “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” I underlined ‘better sacrifice’ and then put a parenthesis around it, then underlined the rest. This goes along with another study I’ve been doing. Then I read along with the day’s scripture reading…then as the reader is shuffling papers and moving off the stage I’m noting other verses I’ve apparently underlined before, that meant something.
“Let us how unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:23-25
Do you have a Bible? Do you take it to church with you to study it? This is not a guilt trip. (Ok, maybe it is.) No, I would instead say it’s a challenge. Find your Bible. Open it. No, you don’t have to have a study planned. Just. Start. Reading. And let it convict you. Change you.
