Tim Wildsmith, who does a YouTube channel all about Bibles, recently did a video with his wife where they had to answer the question, “If I could only keep three Bibles, which would they be?”

Folks probably think I have a lot of Bibles, but I assure you Tim has exponentially more, making this exercise incredibly difficult to the point he chose five.  I thought it would be fun to think about it myself and to get all of us to think about the Bible or Bibles that we own and what they mean to us.  So here it goes:

Three of my Bibles are non-negotiable and hold too much sentimental value to be included in such an exercise. Bible number one on my mind would have to be one of the oldest that I own.  There’s nothing fancy about it and no study notes, but it does have something that no other Bible has.  The inscription page reminds me that it was a gift from my parents.  If I was leaving a room looking back at all the Bibles left on the shelf that I would never see again, it would be impossible to imagine this one being left behind.  Two more have similar status.  I was gifted a Nave’s Topical Bible that was owned by my grandfather.   It includes an inscription from my aunt, who had originally given it to my grandfather as a gift.  The last of these is a Chronological Study Bible that belonged to my good friend Keith Higgs. I thought Keith and I had many years ahead of us as pastoral colleagues, but he passed away suddenly about three years ago.  Keith’s widow gave me the Bible from his collection, and I will always cherish it.

That’s it for the easy choices, but what about that stuck on a deserted island type thing?  I agree with Tim Wildsmith and would have to take my NET Full Notes Bible.  The notes along with mentions of how certain things are interpreted in other translations would help offset (just a little) the fact that I can only take three with me.

Number two: Maybe it is just because I haven’t had it very long and there’s still a lot to explore, but I might have to go with one of my newest Bibles, The Experiencing God Bible (CSB).   I love the prompts that are meant to get you thinking about the text that you have just read.  I also really like the font and typeset.  It truly is an updated Serendipity Bible that can be used to guide individual study or group conversations.

Number three: A Bible I don’t crack open as often as I should, The Baker Illustrated Study Bible (CSB).  It is large, so this one along with the ESV Study Bible just aren't conducive to a lot of picking up and putting down for me.  That being said, if I could only pick three, I wouldn’t have much of a choice but to use it more often.  It has incredible notes and information that I would want as I read Scripture.  Seriously, every time I use it, I say to myself that I should use it more often…here’s my chance.

How strange to look at that list and not see some of my most used Sunday morning translations.  There are no NKJV, NIV, NASB or NRSV Bibles.

As I peer over at my bookshelf, I see several that would vie for that fourth position, just out of the top three.  I mentioned the ESV Study Bible; there’s also the Spirit Filled Bible (NKJV) that had been on my desk my entire pastorate until just a couple months ago when I replaced it with one of my other choices.  My Key-Word Study Bible (NASB) that was a licensing gift from my wife is important to me for that reason alone and it’s a good Bible as well.  Two others that stand out are my NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible that has a wealth of information that isn’t included in many other places and then there’s the Swindoll Study Bible (NLT) that has wonderful and thoughtful notes, is easily one of my most visually stunning Bibles and it was also a gift from a family here at the church.

I could probably write something about a dozen more, but at some point, you have to cut it off.

Again, I invite you to look at the Bible or Bibles that you have and spend some time reminding yourself about how and why they are special to you (in addition to being the Word of God).

See you Sunday!  Until then, here's Tim's video: