A Gift of the Word

Back in 1990 I bought two Bibles just alike.  Well, almost.  One was black and one was blue. When I retired twenty years later the black one was well worn, falling apart, and in need of replacement.  So, I put the blue one into service.  It is starting to look like the retired black one. Someone noticed and bought me a new Bible for a Christmas gift.  This new one is much nicer than the ones I bought.  It has a  leather soft cover and is a large print edition.  I guess that says something about the eyes of the reader!  

So what do you do with a new Bible, one that has no ink markings, no coffee stains, and no torn pages?  Of course, the obvious answer is to read it.  Reading a new Bible will be a different read as I will not be influenced by underlined verses and words written in the margins.  Maybe what it affords me is an opportunity to read the Word again with new eyes, a different set of experiences through which to filter the reading, and a fresh anticipation for hearing the Word of God speak through the new large print edition.   

It makes me remember my first Bible.  It came to me when I was a child.  It was a King James Version with a zipper that ran around the black cover.  It also brings to mind the first Bible I read after becoming a Christian.  It was a Phillips translation of the New Testament given to me as a gift by my Dad when I left for college.  There have been many Bibles in my life.  Each one has been the Word of God which guided the journey.  I am grateful for a new one which will launch me on still another adventure with the Word of the Lord.