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My Favorite Book?

A few years ago, a teacher I was working with challenged her students to think of their favorite book and come up with three reasons why they liked it. For her example, she used the Bible, and that got me to thinking, is the Bible my favorite book? I know when I'm asked what my favorite book is, I normally respond by saying a novel I enjoy, but could it actually be that the Bible is my favorite book? What would that entail?

  • Reading it through more than once: I have read it through a total of six times, two of which were in traditional order, three of which were in chronological order; and one of which was via a year long devotional program with daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I have also read the New Testament twice as part of a Lenten challenge, once in the order they are believed to have been written and once in traditional order. 
  • Having favorite parts: I have many. My favorite book of the Bible is Esther, my favorite parable is the Prodigal Son, and my favorite Old Testament story is when Solomon used his wisdom to solve the dispute between the two women with the baby.
  • Quoting lines from it: There are many verses I have memorized, and I do quote them in conversations. I actually find more relevant quotes from the Bible than any other books I have read, so I quote it more often than any other book.
  • Liking the book more than the movie(s): This is true with every book I have ever read that had a movie based off of it that I have watched. With most books, the movie can not match the depth of the story contained in the book. This is especially true of the Bible because so many of the movies cut out things that many Christians would like to see included. Even the best Bible-based movies cannot compare to the greatness that is the Word of God.
  • Studying it: The Bible is really the only book I have studied by my own choosing. I have studied other books, but they were all assignments for classes.
  • Reading it daily: This is the only book I can say this about. In fact, this is likely the only book anyone can say this about. I have done nightly devotions since I was in 7th grade, and except for rare occasions, have read at least a few verses every night since them. As much of a fan as I am of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, I would probably tire of them if I started reading something out of them every night for 14 years.
So is the Bible my favorite book? All of these things considered I would have to say yes. What about you? Is the Bible actually your favorite book? If the answer is yes, than don't be afraid to tell people that. I'll be starting to use this as my response to the question, "What is your favorite book?" Will you join me?

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