Yesterday, Melissa walked into my office and announced her daughters had given her a new Bible for Mother’s Day. Then she said, “I didn’t bring it to church yesterday because I didn’t want it to get wet.” That was the moment I knew I had failed as a pastor.
Bibles are not meant to be kept in pristine condition. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Bibles are to be used – a lot. They should be dogeared, filled with notes, and full of underlined verses. The covers should look like they went through a battle in World War III.
My Bible looks like it fell out of the Ugly Tree and hit every branch on the way down. It is my most precious possession because I use it. This was not always the case.
When I was a young man in the army, I would only open my Bible on Sunday mornings when the chaplain read the scripture reading for the sermon. My Bible was pristine.
When I truly fell in love with the Bible and read it consistently, it changed my life and made me a better man. My Bible was no longer pristine. As the old saying goes, “It looked like it had been rode hard and put up wet.”
If you want guidance, comfort, wisdom, and peace in the midst of the storms of life, read your Bible. It will make a difference. I promise.
Psalm 119 is both the longest psalm and longest chapter in the Bible. It says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
My prayer for your life is you truly become a person of the Book. I say this because I know what I was before I started consistently reading the Bible, and I know what I am now. And while I am still a huge work in progress, and one of God’s greatest challenges, I know God is using the sacred words I read to mold and shape me into the person he wants me to be. I want the same for you.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, just as a potter molds clay, I know your word is molding me. For this, I give you my thanks and praise. Please continue to use your word to give me light in the darkness, guidance in dealing with the challenges I face, and peace in the midst of chaos. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
If your Bible is pristine, dust it off, open it up, and start reading. It will bless your life in an infinite number of ways. I speak for experience.
And, just for the record, while Melissa’s Bible is pristine, she is blessed to have her office across the hall from me. I am pretty sure because I read the Bible, my goodness is rubbing off on her. She is a lucky duck.
Again, if you aren’t a person of the Book, become one. God will bless you in ways you cannot begin to imagine. All you have to do is read.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 