Wowed by the Word

Do you have a bible?  I am guessing you have more than one, if you are like many Americans.  Is yours dusty with the pages crisp or is it worn and dog eared with highlighter marks all through it?  I fear that we (myself included) take for granted our bibles and don’t devour God’s Living Word like we should.  I was reminded of this issue this week in Uganda.

 

The Treat family, diligently working with us the first couple of weeks here in Uganda, brought a stack of bibles with them.  As they have felt lead, they have been giving these away.  Some bibles were given to children, some to adults, but one in particular to a security guard in downtown Kampala.  I am still amazed at what it means for these beautiful people to receive their very own clean crisp bible that I am sure will not stay clean and crisp very long.  They don’t tuck it in their pocket or throw it in a bag.  They immediately start reading it, with a hardy appetite that I so wish that I had and I wish to see in other believers in the US.

 

We had the occasion, this week, to give special attention to two families with critically ill children.  These kids, Anita and Prossy, had malaria and desperately needed emergent blood transfusions.

 

Through her time with the mothers of these children, Jill discovered that one of them was a believer, but did not have a bible in her native language (she was unable to read in any other language).  With the gracious help of one of our Ugandan friends, Jill was able to stop by the bookstore and procure a bible in the lady’s native language.  When she received this precious gift, she lit up and IMMEDIATELY opened the bible and began consuming its contents. 

 

This again convicted me of my relative apathy towards the power of the bibles I have not been studying like I should.

 

As a part of our medical clinic in Kachungwa this week, we were able to fit more than 100 people with reading glasses.  Most of the recipients were over the age of 40 and suffering from failing vision due to aging.  One of these fine people was Josephine.  At the age of 60, Josephine has not been able to read her bible for 12 years now.  The change in her countenance and the smile on her face, when Jared figured out her best prescription strength, will be etched on the retina of my mind’s eye forever! 

 

A purposed effort, some preplanning and a pair of $3 reading glasses had unlocked her ability to dive back into God’s word!  A 43 year old pastor was losing his ability to read his bible and thus grow in his walk and lead is church, was fitted or glasses too.  So now his ability to see clearly and read his bible will impact even more lives than his own.

Today, I challenge myself (you can join me if you wish) to be more intentional in showing God’s love to others, even in small things, like a $3 pair of reading glasses.  I also am challenged to have a new appreciation of God’s word and our freedom to read it whenever we want, even from our cell phones.  Read the Word, understand God’s love, and pass it along to others!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

One in five Ugandan children dies of a treatable cause before their 5^th birthday.  What if we helped That One Person?

 

Jay