This is my Bible. My trusted friend and companion and it has been missing in action for over a week now!  I was so happy to finally locate it today, and when I think back on it; I do recall putting it exactly where I found it, but in the panic and chaos that ensued looking for it, I failed to remember one thing, I can’t do anything and I mean anything in my own strength!
God is my Light and Salvation! He is my strength and my shield! He carries me when I feel like quitting and strengthens my resolve when I feel like giving up or throwing in the towel.  He protects me and keeps me safe and grounded! I am so thankful that I have Jesus Christ, MY  Savior, that will do all that for me and so much more!

He is my rock and he keeps my feet from slipping and tumbling off the slippery slopes that the devil attempts to place in my path and Jesus keeps me on the narrow path, the path He has laid out for me.  This is third Bible I have had in my 50 years. I was given one when I gave my life to Christ,many years ago and when it became worn and frazzled, I retired it and got another one. I recently picked this one up a few years ago because that second one had many of my personal notes and reflections in the margins.  Some notes were reminders to me and some that I wanted to share with others. I’ve tried journals over the years, and usually lose them or can’t locate them when I want to refer back to something that I need, so, I highlight verses and chapters, make notations and know that as long as I have my friend with me, I can find what I am searching for.

Many people I know, have that one verse that they cling to, the one that gets them through and this is my favorite one (I have many, but this one reminds me of the Love Jesus has for me).

Jeremiah 29:11-14

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and  come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

And when I say this verse to myself, I am reminded that the Lord of Lords and King of Kings has a plan for me. That I am worthy enough for Him to have made plans for my life. Plans that I prosper in all I do, plans to keep me safe from harm and plans that give my life hope and a future, an abundant one at that! And all I have to do is seek Him, pray earnestly to Him, trust Him and HE will listen to me! But the key here, in my opinion is I must seek Him with my WHOLE heart, not a part of it, but ALL of it.  And whatever is holding me captive, in bondage, HE will set me free.

That means to me, that all the things and thoughts that I let bring me down and entrap my way of thinking are false. It says in

1 Peter 5:7-9New Living Translation (NLT)

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers[a] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

The devil will do anything to entrap us.  He will use any means to bring doubt to us and the situations we are in, and make us think, if we let him, that we can’t accomplish God’s plans for our lives.  It is such an easy trap to get caught in.  We must live in truth and we must walk in truth and God is truth. His word will never fail. It is the same today as it was over thousands of years ago.  He is everlasting and never failing.

I have many other Bibles, that I use, I have study Bibles with notes and commentaries; that are very helpful, especially when I read something and may not understand the concept that particular scripture is teaching.  I have concordances that I can research and Greek and Hebrew meanings of words so I can truly understand what God was saying when he breathed these words and books into existence from Bible Times; but nothing is as comforting to me, when I can hold my Bible in my hands and know that certain notations made in the margins are when I could hear God speaking to me and wanting me to remember it; specifically for me.  I have a Nook that has several Bibles downloaded onto it. It’s great for when I am on the go and have limited space to carry books, but I will always be the type of person that loves to feel the paper between my fingers as I read my Bible.

My Bible is my trusted friend and companion. My God and his son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that lives within me, my heart, are my friends and family. They are always with me. Even when I misplace the printed Word, I carry the Word with me everywhere I go. I am so very thankful for everything God gives me, everything.

I would encourage you to pick up a copy of The Holy Bible. Read it, devour it, let it speak to you, like it speaks to me. There is no right way or wrong way to read it. But when you read it, if you don’t understand something you are reading, seek counsel from a trusted friend or mentor; perhaps a pastor from a local church where you are located. Also, one thing I learned over the years, using scripture to help another, don’t take the scripture out of context to fit what you think God wants people to know. Sometime’s in the best of intentions, people can unknowingly hurt someone by taking scripture out of context it was intended for.

As a child of God, it is not only my joy, but my responsibility, to encourage and build people up; not tear them down and condemn them. It is my calling to love.  

Matthew 22:37-40 New Living Translation (NLT)

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

If I forget these two simple commands, then I am missing it. Period.  

May the God of Love, fill you with HOPE and JOY and PEACE today and always. May you know that He is always with you and HE loves you right where you are! Blessings to you!