Loving the Book - Martin Wiles

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Matthew 5:18 NLT

One of my books is 203 years old.

I grew up in a literate home with parents who taught me to appreciate the value of a good book and demonstrated their teaching by example. Books lay everywhere in our home. 

Another of my prized possessions is my collection of Hardy Boys books, which I owned as a middle schooler. I loved reading about their adventures. I also collect them when I can find them at thrift stores. 

Back in my childhood days, technology had not introduced eBooks, so all books came in paperback and hardback form. I don’t remember Mom having many books. She was more of a magazine lady. 

But Dad … well … he owned books, and since he was a preacher, he had many books: commentaries, Bibles, and Christian living. And the longer he preached, the more his collection grew—a collection Mom passed along to me after he died.

For a time during high school and for a few years thereafter, I lost my passion for books. But when I started college, my desire returned, and I began my own collection--a compilation that has grown and changed over the years as I have donated and given away books.

Around middle age, I began collecting pre-1940 books. Since I’m a lover of all things old, collecting old books seemed to fit my personality. Every time my wife and I visited a thrift store, I scanned the bookshelves for old books. I learned to pick them out with just a glance. Soon, they lined the shelves of my bookcases, and I found myself looking for space to put my not-so-old books.

My most prized book also came from a thrift store. I remember pulling it from the shelf and opening the front cover to find the copyright date. Before seeing it, I saw a sticker on the inside cover, stating the book had once belonged to a library in Charleston, South Carolina. No wonder the book was in such good shape. But the copyright date excited me more: 1821.

Loving history, I sometimes think of all the world events that have occurred since this book was published. To keep it in pristine shape, I covered it with plastic wrap.

No dust particles will spoil my antique book, but time will. Eventually, my prized book will deteriorate, or someone will throw it away—perhaps one of my children who might not appreciate old books. In fact, that same thing will happen to my entire book collection.

But according to Jesus, that will never happen to His Word, even if every Bible were somehow destroyed. Jesus is the Word and will remain should every written copy of God’s Word deteriorate or be destroyed by some other means.

Dad read the Bible to our family when my brothers and I were young boys. When I got old enough, he told me I needed to read it for myself. He also taught me it contained truth—absolute truth. That’s comforting to know, especially in a world that has trouble believing absolute truth even exists. 

What God said was right in the beginning is still right, and what He pronounced wrong is still wrong. Whether I live in America, Africa, Russia, or wherever. And whether it’s the twenty-first century or the twenty-eight century. Truth I can hang my hat on. The truth that will guide me through life and provide me more wisdom than any of my old books can ever hope to do.

Truth that gives me hope that this world is not hopelessly spiraling out of control, but has a sovereign Creator controlling it. Truth that guides me to forgiveness. And truth that leads me to eternal life with a God who loves me more than life itself. Now, that’s a book worth reading and basing my life around.

I’m the proud owner of many of my dad’s Bibles. I also have some of my grandparents’ Bibles--even one that belonged to a great-grandmother. Most are in well-worn shape. 

I know one day they’ll disappear from my family’s possession. They’ll deteriorate beyond repair. A relative won’t appreciate them anymore or know whom they belonged to. They might find themselves in a bin at a thrift store or perched on a shelf. But no matter what happens to them—or any of our Bibles—God’s Word remains in our hearts if we let it.

Of all the books you may own, let God’s Word be the most essential.

Father, prompt me to build my life on the most important book in the world: Your Word. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Life's Many Moods: A Collection of Poetry, in eBook or paperback. Throughout the years, poets have expressed emotions in various ways through the picturesque method of poetry. Click on the title above to order your copy today. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.