What if you took care of your Bible like you did your cell phone? I see people on their cell phones all the time. Whether it is checking email, surfing the internet, listening to music, social networking, texting, playing games, or checking their calendars the cell phone has revolutionized the way we communicate and live. And I didn’t even mention talking on it! I cannot remember life without cell phones. My first one was huge and had very limited talk time – emergency use only.
Face to face communication is almost a thing of the past. Kids as young as five now have their own cell phone. I saw a parent of a preschooler drop her child off at school and tell them, “If you need mommy, just call me on your cell phone.” We have become addicted to cell phones. Some people spend several hours each day on them and check them in some way every five minutes or less. They want to stay connected. What if we searched the Bible like we do our cell phones? What if we checked it for new messages every five minutes? What if we carried it around everywhere we went? What if we turned around to get it if we left it somewhere? What if we used it like we couldn’t live without it?
In Acts 17:11, a group of people, the Bereans, searched the scriptures daily to see if Paul and Silas were teaching it correctly. They desperately dissected the Bible and used it for daily living. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God’s Word is powerful!
The Bible tells us everything we need to know about God, life, relationships, and even problems. It is “useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do right” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Take your Bible with you wherever you go! Certainly we should memorize it, hiding it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). I keep a Bible in my car all the time. I also have a Bible app on my cell phone so I can read and search it at any time. Here is a challenge: the next time you are drawn to use your cell phone “unnecessarily”, read a few Bible verses or a chapter instead. Instead of turning instantly to your cell phone to get help what about turning to the table of contents or performing a topic/word search to get guidance from God? The psalmist said we find comfort and life in God’s Word (Psalm 119:25, 52). What if you got direction from God instead of the GPS on your phone? After all, the Bible is “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105).
When I exercise, I use my cell phone to listen to a sermon or two from another church. I have several church apps on my phone to study Scripture and listen to other pastors. My cell phone is my pocket Bible. I constantly use my cell phone to search the internet for scriptures. I read several daily devotionals emailed to me on my cell phone. I even occasionally text verses and post on social media Bible verses God has shown me.
Would your life change if you looked at your Bible as much as you do your cell phone?
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