Charging Your Bible

You shouldn’t have to charge your Bible, it should be charging you!!

I giggled at the thought.

When I went to turn on my “Bible” (tablet) this morning, to start my Jesus time, that poor, empty battery icon started flashing on the screen. It was so pitiful that it didn’t even have the little red line showing that it had just a little bit of juice left. Nope, just... 0% charged! 0% charged! 0% charged! 0% charged!!

I could just hear an old time preacher saying, emphatically, “You shouldn’t have to charge your Bible, it should be charging you!” It’s true, but when your Bible is so warn out that you don’t even have the books after James anymore and the Bible you enjoy the most is well outside your budget, well, you do the next best thing and download a Bible onto your tablet.

I really like the Bible app that I’m using. It has daily verses for inspiration. Different devotionals/studies to enjoy. Comments that others have written about a verse so you can see through others eyes. It even has this neat feature that lets you highlight a verse and then allows you to make a pretty little picture out of it. Once a picture girl, always a picture girl. I enjoy it, but I do miss the opening of the Word in print form.

You know how it is, when you can’t remember the exact verse reference, but you know exactly what side of the page it’s on and in which column it’s in. OR, how the transparently thin pages sound as you thumb through them, crinkling their approval, as if to say, “You go girl! You got this. You STUDY that Bible!”

Now, if you’re like me, your Bible is a rainbow of colors as you start with the pink highlighter, because it’s pretty, or that verse reminds you of God’s love, but then when you reach for it again, you find that your little girls liked the pink one as well, as they happily are scribbling on the back of the morning bulletin, so you reach for blue. Or a verse has grabbed your attention during a sermon and you have to borrow your husband’s highlighter, which is of course, always the straight laced yellow, so you place a big ol’ YELLOW LINE ACROSS THAT VERSE THAT MADE YOU STOP AND THINK. Even those colors and let's not forget about the red, black and blue underlining, brings me great comfort. To me, it is a record of growth and change.

I don’t reckon it really matters the platform you use to read the Word. I mean, the children of Israel didn’t even have the privilege of owning their on scripture. They had to rely on the reading of the Word from the tents, hillsides, temples and synagogues as priests would read it to them, sometimes for hours. That makes my whole backside hurt just thinking about it.

I love reading the worship service account in Nehemiah. If you're not familiar with it, I encourage you to read Nehemiah 8: 5-12 NOW! It is that good!!! It says that they read ALL THE WORDS!!! Wow!! Now I know they didn't have the entirety of the scripture as we do today. I mean, obviously they wouldn't have the new testaments nor, most of the old, but imagine if you read just the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, aka. The Law... out loud... in one sitting. First, that explains why they mentioned so many names having read it. That's a lot of speaking! But think about the time frame here! It would have taken hours and hours and hours, possibly days!

You'll also notice that they STOOD... the entire time!! But did they grumble or complain? No, it says they wept. In my mind I picture them wailing and sobbing. I used to think it was because of the fact that it had been so long since they had heard the written Word of God, but if you read down a little farther, it says that the priest had to calm them because they were grieved. Maybe the grief came from the reading of the Law and their sin was ever before them? I'm not real sure, but what I do know is that reading the Word, to them, was important, it was worth the discomfort and it was emotional. Shouldn't that be how it is for us even today?

Then there's good ol' Paul, who preached the Word for so long, they had to light the lamps!! (Acts 20:7-10) So long, that a poor fella fell asleep and then fell out the window! I mean, it’s one thing to get caught dosing in church, but then to fall out the window and THEN have to be brought back to life!! Poor guy, but what a testimony he would have!!

When you consider, though, that that was their only connection to God, I can see why it would be much more a blessing rather than a burden. Reaping the goodness and having the privilege of hearing God’s own words, spoken to lowly mankind should still be worth it.

The MOST important point to glean from all of my ramblings is this. Your Bible should be charging you rather than sitting on the shelf gathering dust. There’s a quote by C.H. Spurgeon that say, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” Isn’t that a wonderful thought and ain’t it the truth!!

So let’s go pick up those old leather bound Bibles or your tablets and get CHARGED (That word deserves a red highlight!) by the reading of His wonderful, matchless…. Word.

#BibleStudy #JesusTime