"I have hidden your word in my heart…" (Psalm 119:9-16)
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little used to having to read a bunch of stuff digitally online. Things like digital magazine articles, newspapers, sports sites, etc. You don't have to wait for magazines to come through the mail anymore I don't guess. Some folks are saying that we ought to feel good that we are saving trees! But others are complaining negatively about all this digital reality. I bought a copy of the Monroe News-Star-World newspaper a few months back. Man, the thing isn't much bigger than a piece of notebook paper! I was shocked. Newspapers are probably on their way out. I still love the smell of a newspaper, a new magazine, and a brand new book off the shelves.
Well, I guess I also have to admit that I have a digital copy of the Bible on my Android device. I use it in the spur of the moment, or a few times here and there when I don't have my Bible with me. But I will always love the working copy of my Bible. I love the sounds of the pages turning. My morning quiet time study Bible has been highlighted and wrote in a lot, with notes in the margins and underlined and marked. I love a well-used Bible. That tells me something.
But here's what we know and we will always know. We don't know the future of the printed page. But one thing we do know…the best place for God's Word is not so much on our cell phones, electronic reading devices, or beside table.
In Psalm 119 we read about treasuring God's scriptures in our hearts: "I have hidden your word in my heart" (vs. 11). Nothing compares to pondering and meditating on God's Word, learning more of Him, and putting God's Word into practice in our daily lives. The very best place for His Word lies deep in our souls!
It's 2017. Maybe 2016 brought us many excuses for not reading, memorizing, and meditating, but we need God's Word just the same. I pray that this New Year that God will help us store His Word in the best place possible – our hearts!
Remember this wonderful poem about God's Word…
Though...the cover is worn,
the pages are torn -
And some places bear traces of tears...
Yet more precious than gold -
Is this book worn and old;
That can scatter and shatter my fears.
This...old book is my guide,
It's a friend by my side;
It lightens and brightens my way.
For each promise I find,
Soothes and gladdens my mind,
As I read it and heed it each day.
So...to this book I will cling,
Of its worth I will sing,
Tho great losses and crosses be mine.
For I can never despair,
Tho surrounded by care
While possessing this blessing divine.
May the Word of God do in each of us everything that it can, and everything that God desires for this New Year 2017! I love you and I'll see you at church with the Word of God in hand…
Blessings,
Bro. Eric
Well, I guess I also have to admit that I have a digital copy of the Bible on my Android device. I use it in the spur of the moment, or a few times here and there when I don't have my Bible with me. But I will always love the working copy of my Bible. I love the sounds of the pages turning. My morning quiet time study Bible has been highlighted and wrote in a lot, with notes in the margins and underlined and marked. I love a well-used Bible. That tells me something.
But here's what we know and we will always know. We don't know the future of the printed page. But one thing we do know…the best place for God's Word is not so much on our cell phones, electronic reading devices, or beside table.
In Psalm 119 we read about treasuring God's scriptures in our hearts: "I have hidden your word in my heart" (vs. 11). Nothing compares to pondering and meditating on God's Word, learning more of Him, and putting God's Word into practice in our daily lives. The very best place for His Word lies deep in our souls!
It's 2017. Maybe 2016 brought us many excuses for not reading, memorizing, and meditating, but we need God's Word just the same. I pray that this New Year that God will help us store His Word in the best place possible – our hearts!
Remember this wonderful poem about God's Word…
Though...the cover is worn,
the pages are torn -
And some places bear traces of tears...
Yet more precious than gold -
Is this book worn and old;
That can scatter and shatter my fears.
This...old book is my guide,
It's a friend by my side;
It lightens and brightens my way.
For each promise I find,
Soothes and gladdens my mind,
As I read it and heed it each day.
So...to this book I will cling,
Of its worth I will sing,
Tho great losses and crosses be mine.
For I can never despair,
Tho surrounded by care
While possessing this blessing divine.
May the Word of God do in each of us everything that it can, and everything that God desires for this New Year 2017! I love you and I'll see you at church with the Word of God in hand…
Blessings,
Bro. Eric
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