I awoke early this morning, even before the 5:15 am alarm. Maybe the smell of coffee woke me, I'm not sure. (I'm so thankful for coffee makers that turn on automatically!), but that's not what I'm going to write about!
Let's suppose that the coffee maker caught on fire and I had to evacuate my house. What two things would I grab, other than family members. One, for sure, would be my Bible. My Bible is decades old. It is covered with packing tape to keep the leather in place. The ISBN# wore off ages ago. It's the one with the binding that has been cut and glued so many times, stock prices for silicon glue have drastically increased. People always say to me, "you need a new Bible." The problem is, I can't part with it. I don't think it's sacred or anything. The words in it are though.
This is the Bible whose margins are full of study notes, sermon notes, and specific dates when God has spoken directly to me about anything. It's promises are colored in so that when I need them, I can find them quickly.
This is the bible that I opened across my chest and clung to because in it was the promise God had given me that I was not going to miscarry my youngest daughter. I was in an ambulance on my way to a hospital, bleeding and passing huge clots. I knew what God had said He would do. I heard what the doctors were saying was happening. I clung to God and He kept His promise to me.
This is the Bible that holds the verse God spoke to me during a worship service when I was exceptionally upset about something promising me that He would comfort me. It's the one that holds promises spoken yet unfulfilled that I am eagerly anticipating. It holds my past, my present, and my future. In it are recorded the very best and worst times of my life.
This is the bible that flew around our van the day we had a terrible accident. It was the Bible that I opened every single morning before going to the hospital beds that held my broken, comatose children. For months, God never once failed to speak something personally to me for the day. No matter what hard decision I had to make that day, God had already told me what to do.
This is the Bible that reassured me that everything would be okay when my husband was gravely ill and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. It was the one that gave me promises to speak to him every time we had to make a frantic trip to the emergency room.
This is the Bible that I slept with at night when my world fell completely apart, the one that held the promise of abundant, complete redemption and restoration. It's the one that I prayed on, cried in and laid beside my head on my pillow when I was all alone. It's the one that helped things that were happening make sense to me and the one that gave me courage to be strong and not give up.
This Bible has been my counselor, my teacher, my correction, and my hope. Its words taught me of my sin, it led me to the cross where my shame was removed and my whole life was turned around. Its words have been my constant companion and my very best friend. They've never failed me, not once.
You see, Jesus and His Word are one. This Bible contains Him, moving with me through life. It's my lighthouse, my safe refuge, my medicine when I'm sick, my hope and my joy, even when there seemed to be no reason to have any. It's my roadmap and my business plan. It defines me. It refines me. It's the most valuable possession that I own because it contains truth in a world full of lies and deception. It holds hope in a society that is quickly losing hope. When I read those words, they put a firm foundation under my feet, a shield all around me, protection for my mind and heart, and glorious promises of days to come when everything will be set aright for all eternity. I realize it's just a book from a natural perspective, but it holds powerful, life changing, life forming, life sustaining words. The world as we know it is fluid. Life is unpredictable and fragile. Nothing is permanent or fully trustworthy except for the Word of God. Are you wearing one out?
I don't know what the second thing I would grab would be. Possibly my purse or my jiffy pop because what is life without popcorn?
Let's suppose that the coffee maker caught on fire and I had to evacuate my house. What two things would I grab, other than family members. One, for sure, would be my Bible. My Bible is decades old. It is covered with packing tape to keep the leather in place. The ISBN# wore off ages ago. It's the one with the binding that has been cut and glued so many times, stock prices for silicon glue have drastically increased. People always say to me, "you need a new Bible." The problem is, I can't part with it. I don't think it's sacred or anything. The words in it are though.
This is the Bible whose margins are full of study notes, sermon notes, and specific dates when God has spoken directly to me about anything. It's promises are colored in so that when I need them, I can find them quickly.
This is the bible that I opened across my chest and clung to because in it was the promise God had given me that I was not going to miscarry my youngest daughter. I was in an ambulance on my way to a hospital, bleeding and passing huge clots. I knew what God had said He would do. I heard what the doctors were saying was happening. I clung to God and He kept His promise to me.
This is the Bible that holds the verse God spoke to me during a worship service when I was exceptionally upset about something promising me that He would comfort me. It's the one that holds promises spoken yet unfulfilled that I am eagerly anticipating. It holds my past, my present, and my future. In it are recorded the very best and worst times of my life.
This is the bible that flew around our van the day we had a terrible accident. It was the Bible that I opened every single morning before going to the hospital beds that held my broken, comatose children. For months, God never once failed to speak something personally to me for the day. No matter what hard decision I had to make that day, God had already told me what to do.
This is the Bible that reassured me that everything would be okay when my husband was gravely ill and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. It was the one that gave me promises to speak to him every time we had to make a frantic trip to the emergency room.
This is the Bible that I slept with at night when my world fell completely apart, the one that held the promise of abundant, complete redemption and restoration. It's the one that I prayed on, cried in and laid beside my head on my pillow when I was all alone. It's the one that helped things that were happening make sense to me and the one that gave me courage to be strong and not give up.
This Bible has been my counselor, my teacher, my correction, and my hope. Its words taught me of my sin, it led me to the cross where my shame was removed and my whole life was turned around. Its words have been my constant companion and my very best friend. They've never failed me, not once.
You see, Jesus and His Word are one. This Bible contains Him, moving with me through life. It's my lighthouse, my safe refuge, my medicine when I'm sick, my hope and my joy, even when there seemed to be no reason to have any. It's my roadmap and my business plan. It defines me. It refines me. It's the most valuable possession that I own because it contains truth in a world full of lies and deception. It holds hope in a society that is quickly losing hope. When I read those words, they put a firm foundation under my feet, a shield all around me, protection for my mind and heart, and glorious promises of days to come when everything will be set aright for all eternity. I realize it's just a book from a natural perspective, but it holds powerful, life changing, life forming, life sustaining words. The world as we know it is fluid. Life is unpredictable and fragile. Nothing is permanent or fully trustworthy except for the Word of God. Are you wearing one out?
I don't know what the second thing I would grab would be. Possibly my purse or my jiffy pop because what is life without popcorn?
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