My iPad Bible
For
years, I’ve had my share of Bibles. When
I was a young boy I got my first Bible, probably from my Aunt Catherine. It was a Children’s Bible with a picture of
Jesus and a group of children around him on its softcover that could be zipped
closed. Inside, the text was the King
James Version (which was all we really knew back then) and scattered throughout
were classical pictures of the main stories of the Bible—e.g. Adam and Eve in
the Garden, Noah and the ark, Jesus teaching the crowds, etc. In my early
teens, I was introduced to and received my own copy of the New International
Version in a hardcover form (I believe from my Sunday School teacher). Then, somewhere along the line I got a
paperback copy of the version, Good New For Modern Man. That Bible became my
companion all through college as I carried it with me every day to school. And, of course, I’ve had my share of study
Bibles and Bibles to use in the pulpit.
In
recent months, however, I have begun doing much of my personal Bible reading
off of my newly acquired iPad. For the
most part I still read the New International Version. But, I can also quickly change to other
translations. Not only that but, since my eyes are getting a bit older and have
a harder time adjusting to a printed page first thing in the morning, the iPad
works well in that I can adjust the size of the font and the brightness of the
page. And, I do like the fact that I can
type and publish notes as well. For a guy who’s not all that tech savvy, it’s a
bit strange to me to be reading my Bible from a digital format. But, it seems to be a good thing.
Today
we have such incredible access to the Bible.
Not only do many homes have multiple Bibles but, with the market flooded
with all kinds of Bible apps, the Bible has become more accessible than
ever. Yet, the sad truth is, many people
never read their Bible except for when they are sitting in church. And, many are pretty much, what we could
call, biblically illiterate—even people who have attended church throughout
their lives know very little about the Bible.
Worst of all, is that there seems to be a great under-appreciation for
the fact that God has spoken to us through the giving of his Word, the
Bible.
The
Psalmist, David, had a great love for God’s Word. In fact, he wrote a whole Psalm praising its
virtues (Psalm 119). He wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light
to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 – NIV) and “Your
statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words
gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:129, 130 – NIV) At one point he
proclaims, “How sweet are your words to
my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 – NIV)
I
want to encourage you today to read and study God’s Word, and to take God’s
Word into the deepest parts of your heart and mind. I want to encourage you to
develop a deep appreciation, even a love, for God’s Word. It doesn’t matter whether you read the Bible
in a hardcover form or in a digital format.
And, it’s not that important what particular translation you read. What
is important is that each of us would allow God to speak to us, direct us, and
reveal himself and his will to us. And,
he does so as we dive into his Word, the Bible.
Have
a great day!
Pastor
Tim Harris
PS
– I’m using two Bible apps: YouVersion
Bible and Just1Word (which has multiple languages). Take a look!
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