This morning I sit looking at a Bible I have had since June 11, 1983. It was given to me by my best friend, Charlotte Callahan. It is an Amplified Bible that I personally read and study by more than any other translation. Why? Because of the amplification it brings to my mind as I read. I am a writer. I love words. I love seeking the meanings and uses of words. To me words are like cooking. There are so many ways something can be made by just knowing the right combination of spices, etc. Words affect us like that. "Right" words bring healing, comfort, encouragement, exhortation, correction, and so much more. "Wrong" words bring sorrow, pain, separation, bitterness, and leave wounds that sometimes takes a lifetime to undo.
This Bible is a physical wreck! You should see it! The binding is torn, some of the pages are shredded, and yet it is the most beautiful Bible to me. I filled this Bible with every "good" word I heard from preachers and teachers and I want to share a few of those with you. Some of the quotes do not have the person I heard it from; some do. Anyway, may they comfort, encourage, exhort, correct, and bring healing to your soul.
1. The mind can't tell the difference between real experience and something constantly and vividly imagined.
2. God gave us a guilt-free conscience - a Righteousness Consciousness.
3. A guilty conscience produces a..."I need to suffer" attitude. God "suffered" for us in Christ Jesus to give us freedom from guilt.
4. I am the trophy of God's grace. (7-17-84) Pastor Dave Fazio
5. Treat the unfair situation from the inside. (4-9-85) Pastor Jim Dube
6. Where God guides, God provides. (3-9-90) Benny Hinn
7. I've come too far to quit. (10-10-96) Jerry Savelle
8. We are under the benefits of the blood. (11-12-98) Roy Bach
9. I am a minister of reconciliation. I am a carrier of my Father's dream. (mine)
10. Before you feed men - you must toil in the garden. Before Jesus fed mankind - He toiled in the Garden. (2-12-84) Dick Wright
11. I'm not worm sweat. (9-13-88) Susan Snyder
12. What the mind harbors, the body will manifest. (8-21-83) Denis Waitley
Aren't those GOOD??? Words are eternal. They have an eternal affect upon the soul of a man or woman. When we yield our minds to the Eternal Good News of Jesus Christ, we become encouraged, exhorted, corrected, and the end result....healed!
I treasure my Bibles. All of them. I treasure my "early" Bibles the most, for they are the road map of my soul. They remind me of where I was and where God has me now. It is a spiritual place that has been developed over many years, many tears, and much soul searching. I hope someday, my children, will see this beat up old Bible, and see the God, Whom their mother loved and trusted. I have my Grandma's Bible. No amount of money could replace the fact that her precious hands held that, her eyes read it and believed, cried, and trusted.
I hope you find comfort and encouragement today in what I have shared. I thank you for taking time to read what is stored in my heart. Take your Bible today and begin to record inspiring and uplifting words that others have heard from the Holy Spirit. You will be blessed!!
Loving Him and you,
Charlotte
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