Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
When I was a young man, I can only remember Bibles being printed and bound in either hardback or paperback. Upgrades were available. There were choices such as Bible size, fonts from tiny to large print, gold trimmed pages, book tabs, place holder straps, and a few other options. You could also choose different hardback coverings such as real or faux leather, etc.
A handful of newer versions became popular that read more like Modern English. I also recall overhearing a lot of debates, primarily among the older church members, sharing their opinions that only the KJV was completely accurate among them. The newer versions really took off among the younger generation, however. I still recall buying my first The New Living Translation Bible.
Fast forward to today!
There are more translations and versions of the Bible than anyone could count. Today, most Christians still have physical copies of their favorite Bibles for church and personal study. I’m glad to see that many, like me, still enjoy filling our printed Bibles full of highlights and notes as scriptures stand out and have special meaning. And who doesn’t have a computer and smart phone today? Digital app stores have many installable programs you can add with many translations, reading plans, devotionals, and much more. Some of these Bible apps have many exceptional markup features. And all this Bible knowledge is as close as your pack, pocket, or purse.
It’s mind blowing for me to realize that having a Bible at all is a blessing we have that is not that old in time. Prior to Jesus’s life on earth, there were only sections of what we know today as the Old Testament written on various materials. They recorded most of these efforts in scrolls kept in synagogues and were available only to the priests. The priests read them aloud, and the general population memorized what they could.
Some disciples enjoyed writing about their experiences with Jesus and his teachings, unaware of the enormous impact worldwide they would one day have. They didn’t know then, but among their efforts became the four gospels of the New Testament.
Paul gained fame for writing letters to groups of believers who fled Roman persecution and spread the gospel over great distances. These churches were just getting started, and it was at substantial risk they met anywhere. They did their best to form the New Testament Church according to Christ’s teachings but had lacked a common written resource like we have now with the Bible. Paul often wrote letters to individual locations of saints while he was bound in prison.
Paul encouraged the recipients of his letters to grasp the importance of learning from reputable teachers and fully embracing all they were taught. He encouraged them to speak, to teach, and to sing the word of God as it expanded within them.
Until we actually hear them, notes on a musical sheet do not connect and impact us deeply. Likewise, we can only experience the transformation and spiritual growth from the words within the pages of our Bible when we read or hear them, bringing them to life in our minds and hearts. We should all take this truth to heart as we strive to know God deeper through the same and learn to worship Him as He deserves.
As often as possible, we should speak scripture to others and encourage the same of them to us. By speaking scripture to others and encouraging them to do the same to us, we can seal them in our memories and hearts, ready to be delivered forth by the power of the Holy Spirit when needed. It’s important for us all to rehearse verses learned in our minds as often as possible throughout our day. We can also sing hymns and praise songs to show our growing knowledge of God’s word and remind ourselves of His goodness.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us the Word of God is living and always active.
So, I ask you to join me and let’s not just let the life and world changing Words of God remain silent within the pages of our Bibles. Let’s not allow the powerful hymns and worship music we love to listen to remain silent within the devices we keep them. Let’s bring the Word of God and the beautiful songs to life through our voices, and with others, as often as our hungry hearts yearn to express themselves. And, of course, expect this yearning to occur more frequently as we continue to commit to our learning.