Your Bible Maybe Old, But…
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Matthew 13:52 ESV
(Jesus said) "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
I try to decide what to focus on for these devotional thoughts days in advance, so when the time comes to put something together, I generally know what to write. Come yesterday afternoon, following my chemo treatment, I found myself sitting in a chair at home staring ahead with no idea what I wanted to write about today. My chemo brain was so well advanced on Tuesday afternoon that I figured I could go back a couple of years and copy and paste something, and no one would know the difference.
Then I opened up the YouTube app on my phone and scrolled to see what the algorithm thought would be interesting for me. I found a video from Brodie Brazil, a sports journalist/social media personality from the West Coast and the Bay Area. For years, I’ve watched his sports-themed videos and enjoyed his calm presentation on some of the top sports stories of the day. But yesterday, his video had nothing to do with sports. It focused on the fake tree in his home studio where he produces his videos.
A fake tree. For about six minutes, Brody talked about the 26-year history of the fake tree in his studio. He originally got it in college, and it's been with him ever since. Now that it’s showing its age, he was considering changing it up and maybe chucking it. And as I was watching, my old English Standard Version Bible sat on the living room table, one I had first purchased during my time in seminary between 2001 and 2005. The Bible has been read a lot and was starting to show its age. I stood, walked over to the table, and picked up the old ESV. No matter how tired and weak I felt after my chemo treatment, I flipped open the Bible.
I would love to say that I opened the Bible and it landed on today’s verse in Matthew 13. But I didn’t - I actually opened to Psalm 77. But I thought about the old Bible staring up at me, and I considered that even though it may be showing its age, the message has never changed. The wisdom from those words of God has not once been “revised” to change God’s love or His plan to save people like me through His Son, Jesus Christ. Whether you read the English Standard Version, the King James Version, or another Bible translation, the important thing we do as Christians is to open it, read it, and pray it. The blessings of God come to us through those words. Hold fast to them and never let them go.
Oh, and when you pick up your old Bible today or tonight, let it put a smile on your face. God loves you!
(And if I were Brodie, I would keep the tree. It has character.)
(And yes, the song below is the same as yesterday. It kind of just fits.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, keep me steadfast in Your word now and forever. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
The photo above is licensed through Unsplash+