There’s a condensed version and an extended version to this post today. You choose.
Condensed Version:
“Mark your bible, and let it mark you.” Pastor Lewis
While unpacking boxes during the move to our newly renovated home, I came across one of my bibles. The abovementioned statement were words I’d written inside the front cover. Allow those were to sink in: “Mark your bible, and let it mark you.” I love it!
Whether you thumb threw the pages of the bible (which is a sweet sound to my ears) or click on your bible app, take notes, write scripture down for you to visualize throughout the day, and live your life mark by God for others to see His light in you.
Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
Simply said…live a life which puts a smile of God’s face.
Extended Version:
Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to look through the bibles I have displayed on our mantel, bookshelves, and other areas around our home. The bibles belonged to generations of family members. Here are a few cherished discoveries:
My mother-in-love’s favorite flower was a pink rose. After Jany’s passing, Tim and I were at an antique shop and I had bought a handkerchief with pink roses on it to remind me of her. It was tucked between the pages of Psalm 139. The marking I wrote beside that chapter says, “read as a love letter to God.”
Speaking of Jany, during her last months, one of her phrases she would say before she hung up the phone to her siblings, friends, or family or hugged you is “I love you, I love you, I love you.” (Click here to read a journal entry regarding these words.) I remember one Sunday she gave me a note that Cole had written to me during church service. He was seven years old at the time. His note simply said, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” The word love was substituted for the heart symbol, and the word you was just the letter U. I believe that his precious note was where she got her catch phrase from in her latter days. All that to say…Cole’s precious handwritten note was nestled in the book of Lamentations. And…a crisp ten dollar bill was with it. Hmmm, it pays to love…and read your bible. *wink*
In another bible, a beautiful bookmark that a sweet friend of mine created was marking Psalm 14-17. These pages were all underlined, but the one that I had written something specific next to was Psalm 14:2, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” At the end of the verse I wrote, “We must seek God.”
This bible was worn out looking and well-marked. Some of the sermon notes written in the back of this bible were titled: “5 Healthy Habits for a Lasting Marriage”, “Getting Rid of Our Guilt”, “Stress – Dealing with it”, “How to get over a hurt”, and “Temptation is experienced by everyone”. Good stuff! A little diddy that I wrote on a random page in the back was, “Saved by faith. Love by faith. Eternity is way too long to be wrong.” Again…good stuff.
I grabbed the collection of bible off our fireplace mantel, which belong to various family members from generations past, and wanted to see what was “marked” in their bibles. Here’s what I found:
The bible my father-in-love received on Christmas day in 1961, from his mother and dad had an adorable photo of him (I believe he was about six years of age in the photo) taped to the first page with a typed note under it. The note said, “To think own self be true…And it must follow as the day the night…Thou cans’t then not be false to any man.” (always remember that GREAT MAN you mother always dreamed you’d be as a first grader!) This bible wasn’t marked with notes or highlighted, or verses underlined, but I guarantee if you were to see the bible my father-in-law has today, it would show the signs of the GREAT MAN his mother dreamt he would be. I’m grateful for my godly and wise father-in-love. (Wayne Shuff)
The next bible I rummaged through was the bible that the church I grew up in, Welcome Baptist Church, gave me when I graduated from high school in 1986. I had sermon notes and a few verses highlighted, but what was so precious to me was finding were my daughter Holly had used this bible a few times and marked it, and took notes in the back. (Ahhh, be still my beating heart.) She had each verse in Matthew 5 circled, and lots of underlining and sermon notes on Revelation 20:11-15. She wrote the date 10/26/09 beside those verses.
The third bible belonged to my man, Tim. It was given to him on Christmas 1983, from his mom and dad. Much like his father, his bible wasn’t marked so much at that age, but…our little girl had gotten ahold of her daddy’s bible too and marked in it. Her main highlighted and written notes came from a sermon Dr. Lewis preached on 9/19/2010 on Compassion. The scripture marked was Matthew 9:36-38. If you were to look at Tim’s current bible, again, much like his daddy’s…it is well marked with notes, verses underlined and circled, etc.
My next bible belonged to my great grandma Mamie. On the inside cover the penned words were, “To Wenonah Segler, with love from Mother. November 7, 1925 . Wow! This bible is over 91 years old. The pages are frail and tarnished. I carefully thumbed through the pages. There were no markings, but in the very back she had a page torn out from a classic book. I read the pages (front and back). This part of the novel was talking about who someone was, and they replied, “A Christian.” The words on the back talked of obedience and the final conversation on the page said, “Are you ready?” “Yes,” he answered. This torn page came from Daniel Defoe’s, 1719 novel, Robinson Crusoe. The character noted was Friday. Man, I wish I would have known the significance of that torn page stuck in the back of her bible.
I could go on and on reminiscing and thumbing through the bible passed down from generation to generation.
Simply said…“For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.” Psalm 100:5
I pray that you will allow God’s word to mark you. May your light shine bright for Christ. Go…put a smile on God’s face.
“Mark your bible, and let it mark you.”
Many blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie