Like Your Favorite Comfy Jeans

Grab your personal study Bible—if you can find it—and assess its physical appearance. Might I suggest the condition of your personal faith journey is inversely proportional to the condition of your Bible. In other words, the more wear and tear, the better. Certainly, you need to respect the book itself. But you should feel comfortable cracking it open, reading it in public, underlining passages, and writing notes in the margin. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active." But if your Bible stays trapped in the dark corner of a bookshelf, it will never have the chance to bring light into your life. Please don’t judge your neighbors on the condition of their Bible. Their online Bible may get lots of hits. They may be on a brand-new edition, having worn out five others in his lifetime. Or they may be a new Christian, about to embark on the extraordinary adventure of digging into God’s Word for the first time. An even bigger point to remember is this: Just reading the Bible doesn’t cut it. What we read needs to impact how we think and what we do. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” ( James 1:22). Still, there’s nothing like a well-worn, well-read, well-loved Bible. You know those comfy jeans you love so much? Your Bible should feel just that comfortable. Even when its challenges make you uncomfortable.