When I crack open a new Bible, the first thing I notice is the smell. The scent of ink, paper, glue, and leather mingle to form an aromatic paean to the arts of binding, paper-making, tanning, and chemistry. As I open the page, my eyes survey the typographer’s work. Margins, leading, kerning, and colored accents all work together to present the written Word as both attractive and useful. Font¹ designers spend many hours tweaking the size, shape, and proportions of ascenders, descenders, shoulders, and serifs to create the perfect blend of readability and beauty.

I love the physicality of Bibles. Sure, the convenience of an app is great when you are on the go or you need to look something up quickly, but the heft of a Bible in my hand feels solid, substantial, real. Its weight reflects the solidity of the truth inside its pages. In a time when so much of our lives are spent in front of screens navigating digital spaces, I actually like when I’m forced to slow down. I can’t press a quick keyboard shortcut to jump to a reference. Instead, I carefully grasp thin sheets of paper, turning through books, chapters, and verses until I arrive at the right spot. I am a human, not a computer. Reading the Scriptures in a physical book reminds me who I am and what I am not.

I love reading my Bible. I wake up before sunrise, make a fresh cup of coffee, then sit in my easy chair, sipping and reading. My Bible rests in my lap, open to the day’s passage. The house is silent and I revel in the quiet and rest. I turn page by page until I am done, then reinsert the bookmark and set it beside my chair. It will wait there until I pick it up tomorrow.

I love the depth and breadth of Scripture. I can sample some morsels here, a bite or two there. Or I can dive deep and chew as much as my limited ability to understand will allow. Whether I study a book over the course of an entire year, or I read through the Bible in six months, there is always something to learn at every speed and scale. My brain enjoys the challenge of reading, interpreting, looking up background information—doing all I can to wring every last drop of meaning and application from a section of Scripture. There is a feeling of accomplishment that comes from delving deep into the written Word, doing the necessary work, and then coming back stronger and more resilient for it.

But, something is missing. Something that can turn my reading and study into a hollow and fruitless exercise.

Yes, I love Bibles and Bible study, but do I love the Word, the I Am, the self-existent one?

Yes, I love Bibles and Bible study, but do I love the Word, the I Am, the self-existent one? Do I pursue a relationship with Him as much as I do with my Bible? Do I love to learn more about Him and become more like Him, or does my time spent reading the Scriptures become an intellectual exercise? I love to work up a mental sweat, but instead of building up my faith and relationship with Jesus, am I erecting an empty edifice to my own ability to read and study? The Pharisees were great studiers of the Scriptures, but they completely missed the point.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39–40 (NKJV)

It is not nearly as important to know about Jesus as it is to come to Jesus. It is by coming to Him that we can have life, the same life that escaped the great students of the Scriptures during the time of Jesus.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28–29 (NKJV)

Then, once I have come to Him, I must abide in Him so I can bear fruit.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4–5 (NKJV)

However, abiding means more than just being near Jesus and sitting at His feet. After I have read my Bible, I must obey. It is not enough to know, I must come and obey, and only then can I abide.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9–10 (NKJV)

Yes, I love my Bibles, but do I love the Author?

1. To my designer friends, I know that this is technically a typeface. To make this understandable to us normal folks, I chose the more common term. ↩