God's Holy Word
This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation,
the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding,
its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the travelers map, the pilgrims staff, the pilots compass,
the soldiers sword, and the Christians character.
Here paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand object, our good is its design, and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.
It is given you in life and will be opened in the judgment and will be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour,
and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
-Anonymous-
My husband works with a prison ministry and we have a friend who donates Bibles, lots of Bibles, to pass out to the inmates. Some of them are from estate settlements ... most are gently used but some are quite old, worn, and tattered, like the ones in the photo above. I cherish the older leather Bibles I come across. They aren't allowed to have leather covers, or hard backs, at the prisons and jails, so I've collected a small box of those tattered copies. Recently, I spent an afternoon looking through this 'treasure filled' stack ... one in particular had some scribbled notes, and scriptures that were thoughtfully underlined, as well as countless comments in the margins. There, too, I found a four leaf clover, an old dried flower, a hand-stitched bookmark, along with a letter, and a photo from a loved one who had been serving in the war at the time. It was an intimate glimpse into the life of someone who had spent much time alone with God there, lovingly reading, and writing her heart on it's pages ... and using it as a safe place to keep her most precious items tucked away .... seeing these 'remnants' of a life, makes this time spent so much more special, and I found that this woman was no longer a stranger to me.
Since I've been doing this, I often wonder what my Bible will say about me, to someone, someday . . . . .
I pray that this is an encouragement to you, as it has been to me, to spend even more precious moments getting to know the One who desires that we come to know Him so much more intimately! O what treasures we will find in His presence ... what treasures He longs to tuck into our hearts for safe keeping!
"God's word is a treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safely but in our hearts; if we have it only in our houses and hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us: but if our hearts be delivered into the mould of it, and the impressions of it remain on our souls, it is safe."
