A guy in Singapore was just arrested and sent to prison for stealing a Bible to replace one that was tattered and torn. You can read about it here.
When I worked at a Christian bookstore, I had a guy call and ask for the "most expensive Bible" we had in stock. I told him we had one for $125. When he got there, the most expensive one we could find was for $120. He got so mad about it that he chewed me out. I couldn’t figure it out. Did he think that the Bible for an 5 bucks was even more true? Did he realize that getting angry and letting me have it went against the very spirit of God’s word?
Zak always says it bothers him that Bibles are so expensive. Why should we have to spend tons of money to put God’s word into the hands of new believers? I say leather doesn’t grow on trees, it grows on cows.
Of course, at TCC, we give away Bibles every week to anyone who needs one.
I’ve got all kinds of Bibles: leather, paperback, hardback, parallel, study, topical, Greek and Hebrew, etc. You probably have a few as well. But are we treasuring it as God’s letter to us, to spend time hearing from God daily in a way that’s fresh and new every day? Are we applying it’s life-changing truths to our lives daily to allow God to transform us?
I still can’t believe that the guy from Singapore would want one so bad that he’d steal it. While I in no way condone taking a Bible, I’d sure like to meet that guy (and give him a new Bible).