Most people want to keep their books as prim and pristine as possible, but when it comes to the Bible, that’s not necessarily the case.
Sure, you want to respect and keep the holy book as in tact as possible, so you can glean daily wisdom from it, but one indicator of an active Christian life is a Bible that shows some serious signs of usage.
Case-in-point: the photo of a Bible that entrepreneur Jason Benham posted to Instagram.
Benham, who, alongside his twin brother David Benham, is a well-known Christian speaker and author, posted a picture of a Bible belonging to his dad, Flip Benham, on Thursday evening. He included the following caption: “My dad’s Bible. Impressive.”
And a quick look at the photo shows two pages of a Bible that are heavily marked up, with text visibly underlined, circled and with notes scattered throughout the pages. It’s a Bible that has clearly been used, referred to and relied upon over the years.
The photo sparked a few inspired reactions, with Instagram user kenpierpont writing, “That dude is hardcore.” User mopaxpowers added, “What a treasure.”
Another person responded with a quote from 19th century preacher Charles H. Spurgeon — a message that is particularly timeless and pertinent to us all: “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
Faithwire recently sat down with Jason Benham’s dad, Flip, to discuss a friendship he struck up years ago with the late Norma McCorvey, the key figure in the Roe v. Wade abortion case who later went on to become a pro-life activist.
It’s always encouraging — and convicting — to see marked-up Bibles. Last year, singer Jordin Sparks shared a picture of her own Bible, which included highlights, underlined texts and plenty of other indications that she, too, has been deeply reading the book.