Set Your Mind Above

Episode #96 - Give Someone The Bible

November 18, 2021 Season 1 Episode 96
Set Your Mind Above
Episode #96 - Give Someone The Bible
Show Notes Transcript

I received a free copy of the Bible in the mail yesterday. Not just any copy, a goatskin leather bound large print new Christian Standard Bible particularly designed for pastors. It was incredible to be given something of such immense value, not just the material, but the very words of God. Well...I want each of you to give someone the Bible, and the Bible I want you to give them is you. God's word is not merely to be read in the pages of Scripture, but seen lived out in our lives as his truths are written on our hearts. There is a big difference between knowing about God, and really knowing him. Show others that you know him, that they might know him too. 

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Welcome back to all of our listeners! I’m BJ Sipe, and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above podcast – where everyday ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths. I’m so glad that you’ve tuned in today, I am excited to share my life and my faith with you, and I sure hope that you’ll do the same with me along the way. 

Well, I had the coolest thing happen to me yesterday that I have been enjoying for a better portion of the day today that I just had to share with you. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted that Holman, the organization that is responsible for the relatively new translation of the Bible called the Christian Standard (or CSB), had an incredible promotion running. It was one of those things that sounded too good to be true at first, because here was what they were offering. To anyone who was a pastor, preacher, or in leadership, they were offering up a free copy of the Christian Standard Bible that they would mail directly to you for your review and use. And this was not just any kind of Bible, this was a really nice large print and well bound Bible – surely they were not just giving these away. Had my friend not posted a picture of the one he received and had not about 15 other colleagues commented about receiving theirs, I probably would have just ignored it. But seeing their responses, I knew I should jump on it. Well, it came in the mail yesterday, and I was blown away by the quality. First of all, I have been using the Holman Christian Standard Bible weekly for about the past 11 years. Though they have updated it quite extensively since then, I have been a fan from the beginning. But as I opened up my package, I was blown away by what they sent me. This is the kind of Bible that someone would save up to purchase and use for much of their life. Its retail value is over $100, and you’ll understand why as I describe it. It is not bound in imitation leather or even basic leather, it is bound with goatskin – one of the finest bindings for any book that you can find. It comes with not just one or two page markers, but three different ribbon markers that each are of a different color for easy organization. The paper is a great quality, lined with gold leaf and not so thin that you can see right through it to the other side. The print size is easily readable for all ages, and my personal favorite, it is in single column structure which I happen to love. As I sat flipping through it, I just kept thinking, “I can’t believe that someone just gave this to me, it has such tremendous value to just give away.” But that’s when I stopped and realized what I was saying, and how backwards it actually was. Certainly, gifting out any book made with this kind of quality is pretty incredible, but that’s not what gives it actual value. In fact, what I was given is quite priceless, whether it as bound in goatskin or cardboard paper. That’s because what makes this book so valuable is what is contained within it. The Bible is the greatest collection of writings that this world has ever known or ever will know, because it is not merely the words of men, they are the very words of God as recorded by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. Here in Danville, every year during the fair we do our best to hand out as many Bibles as we can to others. While the Bibles we hand out perhaps are not bound in fine leather, the words that are read on the pages are the same. There is, in my opinion, no greater gift that you could give to someone than a copy of the Holy Scriptures. For then they hold in their hands the most profound truths of this life, and a clear path through reading about Jesus on how to find eternal life as well. 

As I thought about these things, I realized that I wanted to challenge my listeners to do what this group has done for others as well: I want you to give someone the Bible. You might be thinking to yourself, “Well, what kind of Bible should I give to someone? What translation?” That is a great question. What kind of Bible should you give to someone else? Here is my answer, are you ready? You. Give yourself to others. What am I talking about? Well, let’s read 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 together, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” There is an old expression that perhaps sounds cliché but I believe to be very profound, and it goes something like this, “You may be the only Bible that someone has ever read.” The sentiment behind that statement is exactly what Paul is expressing to these Christians here. Contained within our Bibles, particularly our New Testaments, we have letters written from apostles like Paul that contained teachings, warnings, and encouragement from Christ. And yet notice what Paul says to the Corinthians – they are to be like letters themselves, not written with ink on paper, but with the Holy Spirit of God upon their hearts. The truths of God’s Word are not only to be read upon the pages of Scriptures, but they are to be seen lived out in the lives of Christians. You see, what Paul was saying to them is what had long ago been prophesied by men like Ezekiel & Jeremiah. Let’s read Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” My friends, we are to be a like a Bible to the world around us. In our lives, they should see lived out the things that God delights in, as his Word is not merely written on the pages of a book, but are written on our hearts. We have been transformed by Jesus and the work of his Holy Spirit, transferred from darkness to light. At one point we did not know God and were estranged from him, but now we have been forgiven and know him, as is evidenced by the way his covenant lives in our hearts. There is a great difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Anyone could have a copy of the Holy Scriptures, search it, and know a great deal about it – but that individual does not truly know God unless they have submitted to him & he lives within them. It was Christ’s desire that all would come to know him & the Father, and we play a crucial role in this. Show others who Jesus is by the way that you live your life. May our actions, attitudes, and aspirations be the very things that introduce others to their Savior. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and video sessions. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.