The 3 Most Worn Pages in My Bible

There are 3 pages in my Bible that seem to be most read/used.

This morning, as I was spending time with God outside on our patio, I was reading a verse on one of these pages and the worn nature of the page jumped out at me. You can see the light-brown discolored edges of the pages where the grime on my fingers has worn off on the fine paper. You can also see the amount of underlining and notes that I have made over the 11 years I’ve been using this Bible. Clearly, I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading the important truths that the Apostle John penned on these three pages. In this brief post, I’ll focus on just three significant truths of the Christian faith that God wants us to understand and embrace.

Jesus is the Only Way to the Father

In the first part of John Chapter 14, the apostle writes that Jesus tells us that He is the only way to the Father. And that He is truth and life.

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Many who don’t embrace the teachings of the Christian faith, and especially the teachings of Jesus, find it hard to believe that there can only be one way to a relationship with God, Jesus’ Father, and to heaven. But as Christians, we believe – we know – that the Bible is truth and that Jesus is truth. Our faith rests on this. Once we embrace this attitude or belief, then we can have confidence in what we read in scripture and know that it is indeed truth.

By placing our faith in Jesus and being in a relationship with Him, we are also entitled to be in a relationship with His Father, the God of the Bible. There is no other way to the Father or to heaven. You can not work your way into heaven by doing lots of things. Being a good person will not get you into heaven. Giving away tons of money to a charity our your church will not get you there. Going on a missions trip once a year or serving in a homeless ministry once a month will not get you there.

Only by accepting Jesus as your Savior will God forgive you of your sins (that separate you from Him) and grant you the right to be in a relationship with himself…. and to be able to live in heaven after you die on this earth.

The Holy Spirit is Our Counselor and Helper

Once a person accepts Jesus into their heart as their Savior, the Holy Spirit enters into their inner being. This is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith – that God’s Spirit lives in us who are believers in Jesus!

The main roles of the Holy Spirit are to guide/teach/counsel us and to empower us to be able to do God’s will. When we obey God’s principles and live according to his will, then God is glorified. This is our main purpose for being on this earth – to glorify God with our lives. To point others to the God of the Bible by the way that we live and the words that we speak.

And the only way that we can truly glorify God is by the insight and wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives us and by his power.

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit…” John 15:8

We Must Remain in Jesus for Our Lives to Bear Fruit

In Chapter 15 of the book of John, one of Jesus’ main instructions is for us to remain, or to abide, in Him. He uses the analogy of a grapevine and grapes to make this point.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

I’ve mentioned above that it’s through our ‘bearing fruit’ that God is glorified. When we live a godly, biblical life our life will bear fruit. We will experience the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control. ( Galatians 5:22-23) And the many other positive aspects of our lives will shed a bright light on God and his Son, Jesus.

Some ways in which we can ‘remain,’ or ‘abide’ in Jesus include reading the Bible, meditating on the scripture that we read, listening to Christian music, praying, being in fellowship with other Christ followers, and going to church.

Faith and Health

These three pages in the Bible are chock full of important teachings of Jesus, of truths. As we apply these truths in our lives, we become more like Jesus and God is more glorified. It’s my firm belief that these and others truths of the Bible favor good emotional, mental and physical well being.

Maybe these pages in your Bible are also well-worn. But if they are not, I encourage you to be intentional to sit down in the presence of God and ask Him, by the power and guidance of his Spirit, to reveal to you these special truths and how they apply to your life. You might also gain insight by carefully reading the notes I have made and the verses that I have underlined.

I hope that you are blessed by what I’ve shared and the truths of God’s Word that are captured on the pages of my Bible.

Be well!

P.S. Thank you Janice(my wife) for giving me this Bible on December 25th, 2007!

P.P.S. What is the most worn page in your Bible?