NewsRecord Weekly Publication

This Book

By  Charmaine Sanchez

A lot of people enjoy reading good books. I am one of those people. Give me one good book and I’ll forget about the rest of the world. Reading has always been one of the best ways to enjoy days for me. I have reached a lot of places, travelled through different time portals and I have been able to walk extraordinary lengths just by flipping pages.
So there was this time when a good friend asked me “Are you still reading a lot?” I said
Yes. “Do you read the bible often?” He asked again. A flush of guilt ran through me. “Yes. I get to read a few verses from time to time.”
I felt like I just got poured with a cold bucket of water. It was there when I got to think about how my spiritual life has been going. I do get to read a lot of thick novels and unending fictional stories, but why is it that I seldom had the time to open my bible? I spend a lot of sleepless nights, with a flashlight and blanket-covered, to finish the Twilight Saga even if it’s way beyond bed time. But why haven’t I ever done that with a Bible? I spend hours and hours reading and replying text messages, but why haven’t I ever spent even just an hour reading the Bible? I usually just stop at a few verses when I could choose to go on reading. And then I thought, I have to do something about this.
The Bible (from Koine Greek ôp âéâëßá, tà biblía, “the books”) is a canonical collection of texts considered sacred in Judaism or Christianity. Different religious groups include different books within their canons, in different orders, and sometimes divide or combine books, or incorporate additional material into canonical books. Christian Bibles range from the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon to the eighty-one books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church canon.
The Bible was divided into chapters in the 13th century by Stephen Langton and into verses in the 16th century by French printer Robert Estienne and is now usually cited by book, chapter, and verse. The Bible has estimated annual sales of 25 million copies, and has been a major influence on literature and history, especially in the West where it was the first mass printed book. (Source: Wikipedia)
This Book holds so much more wonder than any other book in the world. As other people define it, this book serves as the ‘Basic Instruction Before Life Ends’. No other book can tell how beautiful life has started like the book of Genesis has told. And no other fiction movie can scare you on how horrifying the world would end, like how the book of Revelations can give you goose bumps. And the best part about it all? Jesus Christ.
With all the things that I have to do in a day, I started making sure that reading the Bible is something that never has to be absent in my to-do-list. Not plainly because I was guilty about not reading it, but because it is something that should have really been a big part of my reading life. This is the only book in the world that can cleanse our soul. It is a big collection of the most beautiful words and quotes dating back from the very beginning of everything.
Now, the most important part about spending time with the Bible is reading through the lines, understanding the words of God, and applying these lessons in our daily life. Being a good Christian, is not about having perfect church attendance anyway. It is about getting to develop your spiritual aspects even if you’re not inside the church.
It is not about just memorizing lengthy verses, but making sure you know what these verses can do to your life. It is about helping other people without being asked to give donations. It is about hearing the word of God even without a priest in front of you, and that is hearing God with your heart. So let me ask you now, how is your relationship with the Bible?