Some people hate on The Message, the modern translation of the Bible crafted by Eugene Peterson. Not me. While it’s not my everyday Bible translation, I often turn to The Message for a fresh perspective on God’s word. Plus it’s probably the only Bible translation with a quote from Bono on the back.

There’s a lot of great translations in The Message. John 1:14 gets tossed around a lot by Younglife leaders – “The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”

But my favorite verse in The Message doesn’t come from the Gospels.

It doesn’t come from Genesis.

It doesn’t come from a prophet major or minor.

It doesn’t come the Psalms or the Proverbs or the Song of Solomon.

In fact, it doesn’t come from any of the 66 books of The Bible.

My favorite verse in The Message translation comes before the table of contents:

“The Message Bible is manufactured to serve you for a lifetime.”

I think it’s pretty special that The Message has a lifetime guarantee. I think it says a lot not just about the publisher, but about the word of God itself.

The Bible is like no other book. Though you can read every word from cover to cover, you will never truly be finished reading The Bible. It is a living document. Our understanding and interpretation of God’s word grow each day we read.

The guarantee is not just on the physical copy of God’s word. It’s on God’s word itself. For no matter how ragged or frayed or worn out our lives become, the Bible is guaranteed to be with us for a lifetime. It is guaranteed by God to guide us all of our days.

Test this guarantee out. Even if you haven’t cracked open The Message or any translation of the Bible in a long, long time, find the one closest to you. Download the YouVersion app on your phone or tablet. Dive back into the scriptures, and see for yourself how God’s message can serve you for a lifetime.

I’d love to know – What’s your favorite verse in The Bible? What about in The Message translation?