Don’t write in textbooks. Don’t doodle in library books. Don’t highlight in borrowed books. We live in a society(!) and there are rules. You just can’t go inking up a book that doesn’t belong to you. And even then, it’s considered bad form to go marking all over a novel you own because what if you wanted to give it away to a loved one some day. They don’t want to see the smudgy phone number of a girl you convinced to go out with you that one time in 11th grade written on the eighth page of your copy of Frankenstein.
That’s just a hypothetical.
There’s one exception to this tried and true rule, however. Your Bible should not look pristine. Your Bible should look worn out, beat up, and falling apart. Sure, maybe you have a brand new Bible, in which case it will look immaculate. All that proves, however, is that you needed a new Bible because you wore out the old one (like you should) and you haven’t had the time yet to wear out this one!
Some people have a “family Bible” that sits on the coffee table, doing nothing but collecting dust. It’s usually a giant honking thing, all white with gold trim, and if you ever try to open it the whole family will know because it’ll crackle like a tree falling in the woods.
That is not the intended use of the Bible.
The Word of God must be read, re-read, studied, re-studied, poured over, meditated on and, in my opinion, marked with notes all over the place. It should bear the marks of a faithful follower, the marks of a determined disciple, and the marks of a contemplative Christian. Keep a pen shoved in that Bible of yours, whip it out whenever you hear a good thought in class or in a sermon, and jot down whatever relevant thoughts you need to that will help you in five or ten years when you happen across that verse in a future study. God gave you the Book to put to use.
Put it to use!
Mark it up!
~ Matthew