Have You Personalized Your Bible?

Psalm 18:30 – As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. (AMP)

Psalm 119:11 – Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (AMP)

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (AMP)

I was quietly sitting in church next to a little boy, when he proudly showed me his new Bible. He showed me that he had written his name in the flyleaf. I suggested, "Perhaps you should put your telephone number under your name, should you accidentally drop it somewhere. Then the finder will be able to contact you." He immediately found a pencil and with great care wrote his telephone number. He had commenced to personalize his Bible.

I know a number of people who write sermon notes on small pieces of paper. Perhaps they are more careful than I am, but I tend to lose those minute slips of paper, and the notations which lead the mind to the theme of the sermon are lost forever. I developed a system of writing notes in my Bible in the margin or anywhere else that provides a small space. I have a very old Bible which is a great favourite of mine, and on the flyleaf are five telephone numbers which indicate the number of times that I moved while using that Bible. If I cannot decide what portion of Scripture I would like to read, I leaf through and make my decision based on the one who gave the sermon, the date and place, or the extent of the notes surrounding a particular verse or chapter. I read again the Word and notes, and I am refreshed and blessed.

If we are going to use our Bibles for making notes, this forces us to take our Bibles to church with us. In fact, there are many good reasons for carrying a Bible. It is a means of blessing to the minister to hear the rustle of the pages as the Scripture reading is found. It is also a silent witness: our neighbours will not have to guess our destination on Sunday morning, and they may even approach us some day and ask if they can attend church with us. Perhaps most important of all, we become very familiar with God's Word, and with familiarity, we learn how precious the Word of God is to us. "Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Why not make this a New Year's resolution for 2005?

Prayer: Our gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for Your precious Word and for all that it means to us, for it is indeed a light unto our pathway, a constant reminder of Your love toward us. We bring our praise and thanks to You through the authority of Your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share this devotional on Facebook     Like PresbyCan on Facebook