MAY 4, Colossians 3:16

“Hi, Grandpa!” said Angie as she entered her grandfather’s living room after church one Sunday. “Mom says to come home to have lunch with her.” She carelessly tossed her Sunday school book and Bible onto a chair and walked to the bookcase. “Grandpa, do you have any books I could borrow to read this afternoon?”

Angie saw Grandpa frown as her Bible slid to the floor. He quietly picked it up and joined her as she scanned the book titles. “Here’s one you might like,” Grandpa suggested, drawing out a thin volume. She took it, and they left for lunch.

That afternoon, Angie read the book her grandfather had chosen. It was the story of Mary Jones, a girl who lived in England in the 1700s. Angie learned that Mary’s most earnest prayer was that she might have a Bible and be able to read it. “Wow!” thought Angie, “I wonder if she got one.” She read on and found that when a school was started near her home, Mary was able to attend school and learn to read. But she still did not have a Bible of her own.

The story went on to say that when Mary was sixteen, she heard of someone who had Bibles for sale in a town twenty-five miles from her home. “How can I get one?” wondered Mary. “I know! I’ll walk.” She begged her parents for permission to go. When they finally gave the permission, she took all her money, walked to that town, and bought a Bible. The twentyfive mile return trip seemed short as she happily carried her Bible home.

Angie looked up when her grandpa came into the room. “How’s the book?” he asked.

“The girl in this book walked twenty-five miles to buy a Bible, and then she had to walk back home!” exclaimed Angie. “She walked fifty miles for a Bible!”

Grandpa nodded. “How far would you walk for a Bible?” he asked. Angie didn’t know what to say as she looked at her Bible lying on the table. “We have so many Bibles that I’m afraid we don’t appreciate God’s Word like Mary did,” Grandpa added. “We take it for granted and handle it carelessly and often don’t read it as we should.”

Thought: Do you respect and treasure God’s Word?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word. Please help me cherish it and read it diligently every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.