Put Some God in Your Pod

A couple years ago I downloaded the New Testament ESV and put it on my iPod. I don't read the Bible on my iPod very often--although it is a nice distraction between sets at the gym--but a couple months ago I was at the hair salon and figured I could use my iPod to catch up on the Bible reading I hadn't completed that morning. That experience was revelatory.

I learned that the way I process information in everyday life is influenced by the mode of transmission. When I read books, I tend to store away knowledge for future use. When I receive electronic messages, texts in particular, it's usually information that I act on immediately whether it's a confirmation of future plans or a change of plans based on what I now know.

Similarly, when I read scripture in book form, I tend to store away what's being said for future use. I'm more knowledgeable because of it. It affirms my tendency to approach reading scripture as a means to an end, another good activity that can be checked off the to-do list that I feel better about completing by the end of the day.

However, reading scripture on my iPod forced me to relate to the word of God differently. I was reading Paul's letter to the Colossians, and I sort of understood how they must have felt receiving his letter for the first time. He was giving life-altering truth that was meant to transform their worldview then and there, not interesting tidbits to be tucked away for later use or bible trivia. It was almost like Paul was sending me a text message extolling the preeminence of Christ:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by [6] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

The truth that Christ is preeminent is meant to change the way I see the world. Everything in my life has to be measured against the reality that Christ is preeminent. He's bigger than my GPA, securing employment, getting married, the suffering in this world, and anything else that may keep me up at night. I was never supposed to read that truth and say "Oh, that's nice" and go about my day as usual.

I guess the immediacy of reading scripture in portable, electronic format brought home the immediacy of the realities and truth that scripture presents. Even when it's in a book, God's truth isn't meant to be read and put back on the shelf, it's meant to be applied, and it's given to transform. I haven't read the Bible on my iPod in a while, and I still struggle with reading it as I should, rather than just checking it off my list. It's nice to be reminded what God's word is for though.