Being Confident in God’s Word
“…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
There’s an old preacher adage that you can tell a lot about a person by the condition of their Bible. I’ve seen Bibles that are dog-eared, and marked up with comments in the margins and green highlighter ink bleeding through the pages. And, I’ve seen Bibles that you had to blow the dust off of to pick it up like some old archaeological treasure out of an Indiana Jones movie.
Trying to remain true to that old adage, I’ve always tried to underline passages that move me and write comments in the margins. But, I have a problem.
When I moved here last year I decided to buy a new Bible. My old one was getting kinda worn out and like my clothes, had a lot of coffee stains on it. So I got it and waited expectantly like a kid in a candy store, barely containing my excitement at the blank margins just waiting for my notes and new highlighters hoping to run out of ink.
And, don’t get me wrong, I love my new Bible. But, I’m a child of the information age. So now, instead of reading my Bible by turning the really thin pages, and muttering about the size of the typeface; I read from my You Version Bible App.
It’s SO much easier!
It’s on my Iphone, my Ipad and my computer. It has devotionals, Bible reading plans and if you want to look up a particular passage, it is so much handier than shuffling through those thin pages.
Oh how much I wish you could see the number of times I’ve “swished” through the digital pages. Or the times I’ve “copied and pasted” into my notes sections. The number of “bookmarks” I’ve made and the fingerprints left on my screen as I frantically typed in a thought God shared with me.
Now, I can read God’s word anytime I want. Riding in the car, mowing the grass, sitting at the doctor’s office. . . the possibilities are endless. I still have a certain time each morning to read, but now I’m freed up to read anytime I want.
I moved my “real” Bible today. I had to. I didn’t want to get spilt coffee on it. I knocked my coffee cup over while reading God’s word on my Iphone. And, I thought to myself, “I wonder what the next 20 years will bring?” I would have never thought I’d be one of those people with a dust-covered Bible. But another old adage really is true. Things change, but some things always remain the same. The way I read God’s Word has changed. But the saving grace is always the same.
Let us pray. Father, we are your people, chosen by you. As we remember your greatness, we ask that You give to us the ability to listen, to understand, and to remember. Make us aware that we are Yours. Let your presence be real to each of us. As we pray, may it be just like speaking with you. As we read, help us to concentrate, so that we really hear your work, and help us to take in and retain all that we hear, see, and experience this day. Hear our confessions of those things we have done. Hear our confessions for those things we should not have done. And hear our confessions of what we could have done in a different way to better reflect who you are in us. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.