The Most Important Possession I own

Gifts. I've never met anyone who didn't enjoy receiving one. For generations it's been customary to give gifts for special occasions. Most Americans give gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and religious holidays. There's normally a lot of thought that goes into the gift giving process. One might consider a person's hobbies or interests as they choose a gift or perhaps a person has created a shareable wish list of items on Amazon or some other app. Sometimes, a gift is chosen merely because the giver thinks the receiver will enjoy it, and most times, the gift is given out of love instead of obligation. But have you ever given a gift to someone just because? Those types of gifts are so special and I'd like to tell you about one I received about 18 years ago. 

At that time, I was working for a mega church in Atlanta. As a member of the church's counseling team, I had the joy of combining my faith and work daily. Our department was fairly small and led by an ex-priest who'd converted to Christianity. It was a wonderful, tight knit group and we felt like family. We truly loved, appreciated, encouraged, and supported one another. Praying together at the start of each day and often in the middle of the day welded our hearts and grew our faith. As with many office staff groups, we'd do occasional lunches together, celebrate each other's birthdays, and whenever someone was going through a challenging time, we'd share tears. Over the many years I was there, we came to know each other extremely well. 

One day, one of the staff, a sister in Christ, called me into her office. I stood in front of her desk as she said, "I have a gift for you." A look of surprise must have spread across my face as she handed me a new hardcover Bible. At first, I wondered why she was giving me a new Bible. I had a whole collection of them including the first one I'd ever received as a child 59 years ago when I was baptized. She must have guessed what I was thinking and said, "This one is different. It incorporates more depth of meaning by adding both Hebrew and Greek to the translation." That peaked my interests. I didn't have an Amplified Bible in my collection. Graciously, I accepted the gift and went back to my office to open the book. I wanted to dig in and see what she was talking about. For over an hour, during slack time in my schedule, I read that new Bible. It was so different from the other translations I had in my collection and since that day, that specific Bible has become my favorite. 

I've used that specific Bible every single day for the past 18 years studying God's Word diligently. I've highlighted and underlined it, shed many tears onto the pages, recorded family deaths and births in it, packed notes into every margin inside it, and kept special mementos like drawings from my grandchildren, or pressed flowers inside it. In essence, it contains the story of my faith walk. I do use the other Bibles in my collection often, too, but they don't compare to this one. And if there were ever a fire in my home, that would be the one thing I'd grab as I dashed out the door. 

The Bible my friend gave me is all but falling apart now. I've taped it together over and over again but I still love it. One day, I hope one of my children will ask for it as I'm nearing my death and as they read through it, I hope they'll discover how God has been my constant Companion, my source of Strength, and my One True Love. 

Many people have Bibles sitting on their shelves. They don't pick them up and read them because they find the wording hard to understand and absorb. Some think the book is antiquated so they avoid it, but let me tell you, you'll never truly know God if you don't read the Bible. It's His love letter to us. It not only tells us Who He is, but shows us, through the various authors chosen by Him to write it for us, that He wants a personal relationship with us. 

How can you know a friend if you don't talk to them and allow them to talk to you? The Bible speaks. As we read it, our Spirit communes with the heart of God and He speaks to us.  

I'm so thankful my friend was generous enough to give me the gift of a new Bible that day. I'm sure she didn't think much about it. She was probably doing it to be nice and bless our friendship, but I'm so honored she chose me to be the recipient of such a perfect gift. 

Do you have Bibles just sitting somewhere in your home? Maybe you have a translation you don't feel comfortable reading and that's what keeps you away from it. If so, next time you visit a bookstore, look for one you like. There are so many available but I'd like to admonish you - be careful. Some are not accurate translations. Some are paraphrased. If you really want to dig in and get the meat off the bones, so to speak, try an Amplified version. I think you'll find, like I did, that it causes you to hunger for more. And that might just lead you to start doing word studies of both the Hebrew and the Greek. If you don't enjoy reading, there are many audio Bibles available. Whatever method you choose to study God's Word, make a point of doing it and do it daily. It will change your life, empower your walk as a believer, strengthen your faith, and draw you so much closer to God. And if you have a special occasion coming up, a Bible just might be the perfect gift.