Chained Bible Beddesley Church Hamshire, England 1702

It has been over 470 years since Henry VIII Ordered the Bible placed in every church. They were chained to prevent theft.

My dear wife, who is an Assistant Manager of a Christian bookstore is participating in the annual inventory chore which she has done many years. This is an all night and all day event that ends in mental and physical exhaustion and always some degree of disappointment. It is sad to find every year how many music CDs are shoplifted and more awesome to discover how many Bibles are stolen! I could recount how large a dollar amount is lost by the store by this shoplifting, but the store officials would not like my divulging that information. Of course with fine leather bindings and quality paper published at higher and higher prices, it is suspected that some theft is to enable reselling “on the street” perhaps to get money to purchase drugs or alcohol. Who knows? Then, there is the possibility that there are some who just want  God’s Word so much that they may resort to this wrongful choice to steal. Having formerly worked in the hospitality industry years ago, I remember how many Gideon Bibles placed in hotel room were stolen by guests.

There is always this hope: Perhaps; just perhaps, someone  desperately needed the counsel, help, comfort that the Bible gives and resorted to any means to secure it. Does God still bless the heister of Bibles? Well, he does bless His Word to accomplish His purpose. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV) I wonder and I pray that someone who has made the wrong choice of stealing a Bible may just come to make the right and best choice of heeding what they may read therein.

However, one can legitimately own a Bible and yet it is a still a chained book. Failing to read it chains it. Neglecting to seriously study with help from the Holy Spirit keeps it chained. It is even possible to read it, memorize much of it and quote it freely and still its truth is locked away from us if we do not let it transform us to become the persons God intends us to be! Only when we internalize biblical truth can the Bible become unchained. We can unlock the Bible and experience that life-changing power of the prophet Jeremiah, “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV)  A similiar unchaining of truth  is described by two followers of Jesus after encountering him after his resurrection: “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:32 (KJV)  

Most likely if you are even reading this blog, you are not one to steal a Bible. My counsel is that you not let its truth be closed and locked with the chains of doubt, disputation or disrespect. I believe the Bible is God’s love letter to us. Let His Spirit inscribe it on your heart. Live with its “golden ray of truth upon your pathway.” You may rightfully posses your Bible and God’s Truth will rightly possess you.

Shalom,

~~ bro_david

I cannot help but to love the Bayou Rouge Baptist Church family. I am serving them for the third time in my 45+ years of pastoral ministry. They tolerated me in the latter 1960′s, accepted me in the mid 1980′s and they are sort of stuck with me in the current 2009 and 2010 years. I have the privilege of serving some who are grandchildren of the congregation of 1967 when I first lived among them. The congregation has diminished over the years as many small rural churches have when many of the youth mature and must move away to engage in their life’s pursuits. However, though church has a history going back to its establishment in 1841 and worships in the same building erected in 1859, I find the mindset of our regular attenders to be very open and respectful to other religious points of view.

We are of the Baptist persuasion in doctrine, but one does not find our beliefs and views imposed on anyone. Our Bible discussion classes resonate with spirited opinion sharing as we learn from each other and teach each other in a spirit of love. Sadly, you do not find that spirit prevailing in religious discussions. Often instead of discussing it comes close to cussing! Not so in our church family. One reason I usually boycott message boards that abound on the Internet is the mean-spirited flaming that frequently rages. The same can be said for political message board postings. Life is just too short for me to waste time and effort to change minds. The lack of civility marking many religious and political exchanges reinforce my steering clear. (Ha! I don’t think my own wife knows how I vote! I believe so firmly in “pulling the curtain that our system of secret ballot gives us.)  Truthfully, when I watch the demagogues firing away on the media, I don’t think I ever saw an opinion changed. The zealots in the religious world give me a similar exhibition of closed mindedness. It is no wonder many non-Christians are turned off by us.

My ministry is one that just depends on the Spirit of God to bring about changes in thinking. I know I have been so influenced by the Spirit of God to change much of my thinking as I discovered new truths I never knew before. My belief is that is the ideal that humbly acknowledges, God is the potter and I am the clay.

I am fully aware that there are many who disagree with this “openness” I write of above, but that is OK. They have the perfect right to be mistaken.   PAX be upon you.   ~~ bro_david

I want to emulate the spirit of  Albert Schweitzer, but fail to measure up to his example, a life to be lived with love. That is supremely manifested in the Person of God, who is Love. As a Christian I believe that is exemplified to me in the life and self giving love of Jesus, the Christ.

Others may not experience that love-life in Jesus and I have no argument with them. But none can take the love-live I experience personally in the Nazarene.

Peace be to you, the reader.