Loving His Word

"concerning the words of the book"

2 Chronicles 34:21

I read a pithy little quote several weeks ago.  It was something like, "The way you treat your Bible reveals the way you treat your God."

At first glance it seemed very introspective and thought-provoking.  So I thought I'd spend a few days analyzing how I treat my Bible, and see if it taught me anything.

I keep Bibles in several places in my house, and one in my car so there's always one nearby.  But that doesn't necessarily mean I acknowledge it.  I try to make a point of having a regular time of sitting down with my Bible, but that takes different forms.  Sometimes I have something specific I want to look up, other times I read what I'm studying in Bible study or church.  Sometimes I head to the Psalms or other favorite book and just wander.  Then, most days, I put my Bible down for a long part of the day.  I teach my kids, I clean my house, I run errands. 

Then later, when I have some time to work, to do some writing, I will generally read several things ~ maybe short, maybe long ~ as research or a reminder of something He's been teaching me.  Then I put it down again and get other things done ~ more housecleaning, school prep, making phone calls.  Then after dinner, I generally sit back down to do a little more study or research.  Then I put my Bible away on my desk or on the table, and head to bed.

But I'm not really sure the "Bible = God" thing is a perfect analogy.  My Bible is, truly, just a book.  I can go away from a book.  I can accidentally drop it or lose it while traveling, or leave it in the back of my car when I get home from church, because my hands are full of my kids' Sunday School crafts.  Yeah, I know, my kids don't do crafts on Sunday mornings anymore, but it used to happen a lot.

There is a Bible in several places in my house, but often I don't notice them, and there's not always one where I am.  But God is always with me. 

I see the point of the pithy quote.  If you aren't reading your Bible, you don't have a good relationship with God.  I know that our conversations with God cannot just consist of us talking --> prayer; without us listening --> reading His Word.  But the idea of equating Him with a book ~ even the Good Book ~ just rings a little too much like how the Israelites felt about the ark of the covenant ~ they thought the outcome of the battle hinged on the presence of the ark, not the presence of God. 

I know how important His Word is.  I love His Word.  I read it, I study it, I memorize it, and endeavor to hide it in my heart.  And all of that is still true even if I happen to have a Bible in my bedroom that is collecting dust. 

Maybe it's a good reminder for you.  I have a friend who never puts anything on top of his Bible; won't even set his keys and phone on it.  It's a way of reminding himself to respect what it stands for.  After I heard him say that, I starting giving more thought to my Bible.  I mean, I was never one to mistreat any book, but now I think about how I carry it and where I set it down. 

But more than the book, it's His word that matters, whether it comes off a laptop, or off a smartphone, or out of the Good Book.  If you honor His Word, you will honor Him. 

~ "Your word was to me

  the joy and rejoicing of my heart" ~

Jeremiah 15:16

~