The other day I went over to the Hope Chest in my home town. All the proceeds from the Hope Chest goes to help pregnant mothers and free services. They do all kinds of things for free. I go over here and there to see if there is something that I don’t need. I bought some books and some were free. One of the books was the Holy Bible. I love Bibles. When I purchased a couple of Bibles and some other books I felt blessed.
When I picked up this Bible, I was intrigued. This Bible is very much-loved. It’s a leather Bible that has verses highlighted here and there. I am always surprised when I see people donate Bibles that belonged to their loved ones. I bought one from a thrift store years ago and I was able to track down the family that it belonged to. The family lived in California and went to a Presbyterian Church. That Bible meant a lot of them.
I love older Bibles that were loved. As I thumb through the Bible, I could feel God’s presence. Some of the verses highlighted warmed my heart. On the front of the Bible it has a presented to page. It Says:
Presented to, my dear wife Bonnie K Miller on Easter 1950. Where it has the by section, it goes on to say, By, your husband Clint – in the hope you will gain eternal life. Easter 1950. I felt very touched that he loved his wife so much that he felt that the best gift would the Bible.
Inside the Bible, there are colored pictures and an article that was clipped out of the newspaper. Washington Still With Us- Good Counselor Never Dies. I don’t know the importance of this article, but it must have been something special to either Bonnie or Clint.
As I was sitting in the chair, I was leafing through it to see if there may be a clue about how it belonged to. It was obvious that they both loved the Lord. Out of all of my possessions, the Bible is the most important item I have. I hope my family realizes how important the Bible is to me and just toss it away when I die.
A very good friend of mine died about 9 yrs ago. Miss Dena Allen loved to study the Word of God. She loved to study everything. She gave me some books and one of her Bibles. When I put my hands on her Bible or books it’s as if she is still here. I would read her side notes and highlights in her Bible. I felt like she was leading me through the lessons in the Bible. I would go to the pages, verses or whatever because I was interested in her thoughts.
In this Bible, Bonnie highlighted a number of areas, but it seems as if she was doing a lot of studying about the end times. She has a paper clip on a section from Daniel 8-the end of Hosea. The passages that she was reading and studying discusses Daniels Dream of the 4 beasts of the ancient of Days and the Son of Man. The paperclips on these passages are a bit rusted, so I will leave it there.
Here are a few verses she was studying.
- Matthew 7:11, And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things.
- Mark 1:14, Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
- Acts 1:9-11, In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
- James 3:14-26, 14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. Read More…
I guess in many ways I see it being disrespectful when someone throws out a Bible that was cherished by a loved one. I don’t know the circumstances on this Bible. I would hope that my kids or grandkids would think more about wanting to hold onto my Bibles. Not all of them, but some. In my opinion everything else is just stuff. But there will come a time when we won’t have accessed to God’s Word. I have many BIbles that I give to others and I would hope when I am no longer hear that my family would care enough to not just toss out God’s Word. Maybe I am over thinking the whole tossing out a Bible, but it breaks my heart. Especially when it is a Bible that has been an important part of someones life.
Senseless Ramblings of the Mindless 
I agree Sandie, loved ones bibles can tell us a lot about them. When my parents died I was able to give their bibles to each of my grandson’s. I typed out a list of salvation scriptures and place $100.00 in each place and asked that they would read the verses as they removed the money. The grandson that received my dad’s bible was pleased to see that Father’s day bookmarks from the year of each boys birth was in the bible. We all felt like that said a lot about Pa’s love for them.
Thats awesome that you gave them each a Bible. I was commenting on Ginnys reply and for me, I would take a tattered, well loved Bible over a diamond ring any day. I’m not a materialistic person at all. It makes me sad when I see Bibles that have been thrown out like they are nothing.
I CHERISH MY LATE SON’S WELL READ AND REALLY MARKED UP BIBLE. I ALSO HAVE MY GRANDMOTHER’S SCIENCE AND HEALTH AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE. I WOULD NOT BE A CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST, BUT THAT WAS MY FIRST CHURCH, AS A LITTLE GIRL, AS MY GRANDMOTHER TOOK ME. I BROUGHT HOME BIBLE STORY PICTURES I HAD COLORED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. IT WAS GOOD. NO DOCTRINE, JUST BIBLE STORIES. GINNY
When I read someone elses Bible and the words that are written and highlighted, I will hold it and rub the Bible. It makes me feel closer to them and to God. To me, Bibles are the most cherished item I could ever have. If a person gave me a choice between a Bible and a diamond ring, I would take a worn tattered Bible without a second thought.