MY OLD BIBLES

“Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” - Psalm 119:140

Recently, I retired my old Bible. It really wasn't all that old, but it was coming apart a little bit. I ordered it from Christian Book Distributors back in 2011 and received it in the mail on Christmas Eve of that year. Until recently, it was my main Bible. I used it while preaching, teaching and conducting funerals.

What I really liked about my old Bible was its large print. It was advertised as jumbo print. As I get older, I enjoy that larger print. The binding is genuine leather, which does not show signs of wear and tear like bonded leather.

The pages began to come apart from the binding on both ends recently. I still think it could still be used for a while. Then I came across a sale on the exact same Bible and decided to buy it.

Changing Bibles is not easy --- even though my new Bible is exactly the same as the old Bible. My old Bible was marked, underlined and had notes that I had written in it.

This transition made me remember old Bibles through the years. My very first Bible was a very cheap Bible that my parents gave me when I was very young. When I began to read it, it quickly fell apart. Then my parents spent their hard earned money (which they hadn't much of) and bought me a leather edition of the Scofield Study Bible. Wow, what a Bible! I wore that Bible out. Literally. Sections of the Gospel of John were falling out by the time I finished with it. I tried to replace it, but could find one that was exactly like it. I loved that Bible.

Since then I've had several Bibles. Most of them weren't noteworthy. Like many others, I got fascinated with study Bibles and bought a few. I just never found one that I wanted to stay with --- until I found the Bible I just retired. I'm glad my new one is exactly the same. It is not a study Bible. It is just a regular Bible with jumbo print. Even though the print is very large, the Bible itself does not have large dimensions. It is easy to carry around and use.

What about you? Do you have a Bible that you enjoy using? Do you recall some special Bibles you've had through the years?

Sadly, publishers try to produce new Bibles in an effort to stimulate sales. I'm hooked on large print and I want to stay that way. No, my eyesight isn't gone, I just don't think it is necessary to strain my eyes when I read the Word, especially if it is available in large print.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.” I fear that there aren't enough well-worn Bibles these days. While it is okay to read the Bible from a portable device like an Iphone or Kindle I still think that the book form is best. I love to see people take their Bibles to church. As a pastor, I enjoy hearing the pages turn as I announce my text on Sundays.

I want to encourage you to get a good Bible with easy-to-read print --- and read it! The most important thing is to know the Author. If you fall in love with the living Word, you'll love the written Word. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Most books are written to inform or entertain. The Bible was written to transform your life. Read it. Believe it. Obey it.

Dig deep into God's Word and let it dig deep in you.