Recently, I developed the love to read the Bible. To read the word of God. and discover new things about Him.
One of the questions we Christians would encounter in our life would be: Do we believe all the things written in the bible?. When we were asked that question, all of us almost instantaneously answered “YES”. Then the follow-up question came: Who among you have finished reading the bible from cover to cover?. Only two were able to raise their hands and these were our “heads” Jong and Monique, the same people who asked these questions.
Of course, we were speechless. dumb-founded. caught like a kid with his hands inside the cookie jar.
And this happened not so long ago.
I’ve read the Bible. Well, more of, some books of the bible or some chapters and probably verses. But not all of it.
After discovering my purpose in life, what’s next? I wanted to learn more about God and started reading my Bible. I’ve had it since Grade 3 and the cover is already loose. I recently learned that there are different bibles used by different religions. Christians, Catholics and Protestants. I found out that Catholics usually read the New American Bible or anything that was made by the (Thomas Nelson Publishers). And my Bible is the New International Version. No wonder I can’t find Baruch or Tobits there. Well, I’m glad someone told me about this new information. Sorry guys, no one bothered to tell me these things when I was young.
I was now in search of a Bible I could call my own. Something I’d consider very personal and give my commitment to. Not that I wasn’t committed to my NIV bible. I already consider it as one of my treasures because that’s what I used during my growth. It already has a lot of highlighted verses and bookmarks so it would really be hard to part with it.
Everytime I went inside bookstores, I found different bibles of different sizes, color, covers and versions. Mostly, I found Bibles which are NIVs and these books are made up of colorful, attractive coverings that made you want to have it. I even found a Bible which is made up of a Metal Hardcase costing around P1800+. Some with a leather covering and some as big as an album. In the end, I decided to postpone my search because I couldn’t find something that suits my ideal Bible.
When I went home, I found an old book with rugged cover on my table. It was a New American Bible. The one we were required to buy during our High school days. The pages are still intact but the book cover is old and torn up. I thought, maybe I could still re-use it. So I’m planning to fix this Bible and have it bookbind. Im excited as to what or how I would like it to look like. At last, my very own personal NAB. How about you? Do you already have one?
