BIBLE VERSES BIBLE APP!

Have we done believers a disservice by encouraging the use of bible apps to replace the use of a printed bible?

Let’s consider some of the following thoughts and determine if the answer is a resounding YES!

BIBLE: Undistracted study. We can turn off our phone or mute it, giving our full attention to God. Our only agenda is to spend time with God and to hear from him.

PHONE: Open to all kinds of distractions during study time on app: incoming calls, text or notifications. Its a “shared agenda” between our time with God so we can hear from him and the interruptions of hearing from the pull of the world around us.

BIBLE: It’s a witness when others see us open our bible in public and read.

PHONE: No witness. People don’t know what we are reading. We are just another face in a sea of people who are also glued to their phones. We could be playing a game, checking email, reading a text or for some, looking at something sinful or worldly, neither of which have any kingdom value.

BIBLE: Holding an actual bible is heavy in our hands and reminds us that what is within its pages is also weighty and has substance.

PHONE: Holding a phone doesn’t produce the same impact, because we hold it for many other different reasons.

BIBLE: A bible has only one purpose. Its only purpose is to reveal God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and to instruct the believer on how to live a Spirit filled life.

PHONE: A phone serves many purposes. On the same devise, one can read the word one minute on an app and the next minute engage in sin or worldly pursuits. Nothing separates that devise as holy!

BIBLE: No one can change my personal bible. Its words remain the same from the day I bought it to everyday forward. The only way to put a different bible in my hand, is to change the bible in my hand.

PHONE: My phone is open to corruption. Apps can be changed, content can be changed and what starts out as a trustworthy resource can become corrupted if the developer becomes corrupted or its platform becomes corrupted.

BIBLE: A bible can be a gift passed down or paid forward, that reveals your journey with God, from notes to underlining to tear filled pages from deep times with God. Its value increases through the ages.

PHONE: A phone’s contents die or is erased with its user. It hold’s no value or testimony for generations to come. Its value decreases the second you open the box.

BIBLE: Carrying a bible takes effort. It’s a time capsule of the past and a gateway for future revelation. It requires its own place of importance in our busy day, knowing where it is, remembering to give it a place in your hands before you walk out the door. It doesn’t share its importance on a devise, but stands out with its own importance that it deserves.

PHONE: It’s just a NOW tool. No time capsule; just an app that is password protected and easily changed or corrupted by those who created it. Possibly one day even used by untrusted entities for nefarious purposes.

BIBLE: A means to obtain direction and signals from God for life!

PHONE: Needs a signal from the world to even gain access to the bible app. No signal…no bible.

There are probably many other comparisons that can be made, but it warrants some thought!