WHERE HAVE OUR BIBLES GONE?
Every now and then I like to get on my “band wagon” or my “soap box.” I have quite a few soap boxes! Which one am I on today?I wonder why people are forgetting about their Bibles. Yes, I know most people read their Bibles on their iPhones today and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But I feel sad that they are discarding their Bible they can hold in their hands. There’s something about holding the written Word of God. I love to hold it in my hands. I even love to caress it. I love to underline my Bible. I love my well-used Bibles and I constantly wear them out.
In my personal devotions, I use my iPhone to check Hebrew and Greek words and sometimes another translation but I love to read my printed Bible. Far less side-tracking which is always a great temptation.
It is rare to see people bring their Bible to church today. That really saddens me. Even the preachers preach from their iPhones. Oh my, I think there is so much more authority about them holding God’s Word in their hand as they preach!
And the congregation. There are those who are diligent to read along on their iPhones when the Scriptures are being read, but oh my (oh my again!) we must be diligent. I am, on the whole, a disciplined person. But even as a disciplined person I find I must use extra discipline when I read God’s Word on my iPhone. It’s so easy to be distracted by a message coming in or something that pops up as you look for a reference.
I know that most young people give in to these distractions! Oh yes, have seen people checking their messages while in church! And even when I am speaking to women (and that is so distracting). Oh yes, they are just too tempting and distracting!
I think it’s time we brought our Bibles back to church. What a wonderful thing it is to see a whole congregation with their Bibles open and a notebook ready to write down what God is saying to them. When people bring their Bibles to church you know they mean business with God. You know they are a student of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).
Here’s a good challenge. Why not make it a new project to go to church this coming weekend, making sure everyone in the family is carrying their Bible! It will give your children a renewed encouragement of the importance of the Bible. It’s not any ordinary book. It contains the eternal living words of God. And when other families see you all with your Bibles, hopefully they will be encouraged to do the same thing.
What about when you are reading the Bible in public, perhaps on an airplane or waiting room. You may love to do it on your iPhone but that doesn’t scare anyone. Get out your Bible and you’ll get some reaction or even avoidance! The literal Bible has power to convict people even without reading the words.
It’s time the Bible came back into the open! Anyone with me?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Art by Kathy Fincher
P.S. Another request. I asked this once before but did not receive any replies. I’d love to receive a picture of a family carrying their Bibles to church. Send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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