I love a messy eater. I love how people will dive into a meal at Christmas or Thanksgiving. They act as if they haven't eaten for weeks and that this meal is the best they’ve ever had. Compliments are given to the cook and the cook receives those compliments gladly. In some cultures, the cook will not eat until their guest has finished their meal followed by a resounding belch. The cook may now enjoy their own meal knowing the food was enjoyed their guest.
I am a messy eater when it comes to consuming the word of God. My Bible is beaten, torn, and marked from cover to cover from yellow highlighters and underlined scripture. When I was a new Christian, I saw a woman in her 90s open her battered Bible. On every page she flipped through, every word was marked, highlighted, or underlined. She told me she had read the Bible front to back so many times that the words were becoming difficult to read and she would be forced to purchase a new Bible. I realized that keeping my pristine bible nicely protected and clean was not the goal. I determined to consume the words, meditate on their meanings, and seek to improve my understand so I began highlighting, underlining, and scribbling notes all over the pages of my Bible. Over the years I have purchased other Bibles, study bibles, various translations, and some that have specific people in mind, like one for military personnel. I have Bibles of different sizes, and some that even have pictures. My family bible weighs about 25 pounds and is 5 inches thick. It is filled with art that covers full pages, has our family history that covers 6 generations. This bible I do not mark up. I cherish the thought that one day I will pass it on to my grandchildren's children.
I wish everyone was forced to purchase a new Bible because of their messy faith. I fear if we are not getting messy in our faith, our faith may fall away never to be recovered. Faith is not just a feeling, but a commitment. It is not an inheritance, but a personal choice. Faith is developed through a relationship with God who is not a genie who gives you 3 wishes. Dr. Tony Evans shares how Christians are the declining culture.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.