The bigger picture – Day 15

The Bible, as the word of God, is the companion of every Christian. The Bible is the pointer, guide and escort that guides the believer on his path of holiness.

During a visit to Angola, I attended a service in Hoje-Ya-Henda, a suburb in Luanda. I did not understand much of what was said, as my Portuguese is not very good. However, what I did notice was the worn out Bible next to the woman who played the drum. This Bible told the tale of a book that was used regularly. There were markings next to some of the verses, the cover was missing and the pages were curled. Still, this woman carried it to church with so much pride. This used Bible was important to her and my camera captured the image.

Danie Viviers wrote to me and told me about the role the Bible has played in his own life. “When you are in the sunset of your life and you page through your underlined Bible, you see the puzzle of your life and only then, do you understand the path that the Lord has walked with you,” he wrote.

These days, there are many different formats of the Bible available – from Outreach Bibles to the Bible on cellphones as well as in cyber space. There is not really an excuse for not having a Bible. Still, there are many in our country who do not own their own Bible, simply because they cannot afford a Bible. It is too expensive.

The Bible Society has just allocated a million rand for Outreach Bibles that will be distributed free of charge to needy Grade 7 learners. This is an effort to make a difference in these young peoples’ lives.

I hope that the Bibles will help the youth to stand up when faced with temptation and in times of apostasy. These Bibles may also reveal to them, someday, how God has brought light into their lives.

What does your Bible look like?