Priceless Treasure

Have you ever watched “Antiques Roadshow”?  I love when people bring in a family heirloom or thrift-store find to discover the knick-knack that has been gracing the fireplace mantel is actually a priceless item worth thousands of dollars.  People cry, laugh, or just sit there in shock and unbelief. And because I am a sympathetic crier, I am grabbing tissues as I optimistically look for “treasures” in my own home wondering if the toothpick holder in my china cupboard is a priceless relic from some ancient civilization just waiting to be “discovered” at the next “Roadshow” or just what it is; a toothpick holder from the ’50s.  In the middle of my search, I see my Bible…

My pastor showed our class a video of a tribe in Indonesia receiving Bibles that had just been translated into their own language.  As the plane landed and the translators stepped off the plane the Indonesian people were singing, dancing, laughing, crying, and clapping.  They could not contain themselves in their joy.  As the Bibles were placed in the hands of the pastor, he held them up and prayed to thank God for His faithfulness in giving them this priceless gift as tears streamed down his face.  As I left that night to go home, I wept.  I was so ashamed.  I begged God’s forgiveness.  I have access not only to a Bible in my language but many different translations.  I am sure there are over 10 Bibles in my house and I have taken it for granted.  The precious Word of God at my fingertips and sometimes I have to wipe the dust off before I read it.  To read God’s Word was, at times, a drudgery and one more thing to cross off my list of things I needed to do. I would instead, read “spiritual” books that relieved the itch in my ears (2 timothy 4:3). I had forgotten what a priceless item was in my possession until I saw the reverence and awe those people of Indonesia had for God’s Word.  Those simple people and their outrageous love for the Bible brought Psalm 119: 103 to life: “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

It was a transforming of my mind and heart that night. A conviction that reminded me to not treat God’s Word as something cheap and easily cast aside because, in reality, we have been given a precious, priceless gift in God’s Word.  Let us be like the Psalmist who proclaims, “…my heart stands in awe of Your words.” (Psalm 119:161b)

In awe of His Word with you today,

Lisa