Oh, how I love your law!

I first came into contact with the Bible soon after I was converted as a teenager. I found some Scripture Union notes that belonged to my sister, and started to read them. It was the beginning of a love affair with the Bible that is still going strong nearly fifty years later. I've used many Bibles during that time, and still have most of them. I remember each one fondly, in the same way that I can treasure memories of each car we've owned.

In recent days I've realised two things: (1) how much I really do enjoy the scriptures, and (2) how I long for other believers to have that same delight in God's Word. The scriptures have been a part of my life since before England won the World Cup (a long, long time ago!), and I've never tired of reading the stories and reflecting on the message. I love nothing more than to have the opportunity to teach them to others, to 'open up the Word' as we used to say, in the presence of those who are hungry for God. What a privilege that is! But I often forget that I've been studying the Bible for many years, at some depth, and that others have not had that opportunity. So I'm finding a desire growing within me to try and communicate to those younger than myself (most of the population!)something of the blessing that can come to us through God's Word.

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, the much loved "AV". I've never been a big fan myself, having been reared on the RSV and now attached to the NIV, but this landmark gives us the opportunity to remind a younger generation of the rich spiritual legacy that we have in the Bible, which we must not lose. There is a new initiative in Britain being launched to mark the occasion, called Biblefresh. You can find out more at www.biblefresh.com. I want to do my part by holding some Quiet Days on the place of the Bible in the Christian life, and maybe offering a seminar on how to get the most from the Scriptures.

In connection with this I've just started reading 'Eat this Book' by Eugene Peterson, subtitled 'The art of spiritual reading.' He makes the point that the Scriptures are the primary source of spiritual formation, and says this: 'Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn to study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration to the Father, feet washed in company with the Son."

That's want I seek for myself, and for you as well. What place does the Bible have in your life? How does it shape your spirituality and affect your life? Do you still love God's Word?