It Is Not Too Late
Just a few days ago, after the hype of the new year had worn off and resolutions had already begun to fade or fail, my friend, Emily, said to me, "You know what one of my goals is this year? I want to read through the Bible in a year."
"That's an awesome goal," I responded. She proceeded to tell me that she had never done it before.
"I have done it a couple of times using different plans, and I loved it. Once I followed chronological plan, and then once I did that one where you read a little bit of the Old Testament along with a little bit of the New Testament and a Psalm and Proverb..." I blabbed for a little bit more before coming to a realization. "You know, it has really been several years since I have done any of that...I should do it again."
"Yeah!" Emily wholeheartedly responded. "And we can do it together!"
We promptly got off the couch, looked up a Bible reading plan, and committed to reading three chapters a day on weekdays and four on weekends in order to read the entire Bible straight through in one year.
Emily, who has never read the Bible through in a year before, and I, who have done it several times, are both equally excited about the opportunity to dig into God's word together over the coarse of this next year. Emily is thrilled because it is a new endeavor for her that will bear much fruit, and I am eager because I know that God's word holds new treasures to be opened each time you start searching and exploring.
One of the many amazing things about the Bible, the living word of God, is that is never gets old. It never gets figured out or squeezed dry. It is always fresh, always moving, always teaching. And we as readers and disciples of the word are always discovering, learning, and growing. We can never get enough. Our hearts behold more and more and more of God the more we spend time studying His truth in the Bible.
So we decided to start and end on January 12 instead of January 1, just to make it less stressful to play catch-up. At 12:30 AM that night, we got ready for bed and ended our day with the first reading of Genesis 1-3. We were tired and expected the reading to be a good bed time story to put us to sleep, but the lively discussion that spontaneously followed kept us up at least thirty minutes more. Although we had both read the story of creation and the fall of man (we probably could have almost told you the stories with exact detail), we found ourselves digging deeper, asking questions, and contemplating the meaning of what we read. We even carried the conversation over to the lunch table the next day, engaging my whole family in meaningful Biblical discussion.
"Well, if every reading is going to be like this first one, then we are in for something amazing this year!" Emily and I agreed.
No matter how many times you have read through the Bible in a year, no matter how many times you started and then quit, no matter if it is already half way through the month of January and you haven't even started, it is not too late.
Talk to a friend, get on board together, and commit to reading through the Bible in a year. Companionship in the journey is a huge blessing and motivator, plus it allows you to get twice as much out of the readings when you discuss them together. I pray that you will join Emily and I in this great adventure - the journey of seeking out and hearing God's voice.
"That's an awesome goal," I responded. She proceeded to tell me that she had never done it before.
"I have done it a couple of times using different plans, and I loved it. Once I followed chronological plan, and then once I did that one where you read a little bit of the Old Testament along with a little bit of the New Testament and a Psalm and Proverb..." I blabbed for a little bit more before coming to a realization. "You know, it has really been several years since I have done any of that...I should do it again."
"Yeah!" Emily wholeheartedly responded. "And we can do it together!"
We promptly got off the couch, looked up a Bible reading plan, and committed to reading three chapters a day on weekdays and four on weekends in order to read the entire Bible straight through in one year.
Emily, who has never read the Bible through in a year before, and I, who have done it several times, are both equally excited about the opportunity to dig into God's word together over the coarse of this next year. Emily is thrilled because it is a new endeavor for her that will bear much fruit, and I am eager because I know that God's word holds new treasures to be opened each time you start searching and exploring.
One of the many amazing things about the Bible, the living word of God, is that is never gets old. It never gets figured out or squeezed dry. It is always fresh, always moving, always teaching. And we as readers and disciples of the word are always discovering, learning, and growing. We can never get enough. Our hearts behold more and more and more of God the more we spend time studying His truth in the Bible.
So we decided to start and end on January 12 instead of January 1, just to make it less stressful to play catch-up. At 12:30 AM that night, we got ready for bed and ended our day with the first reading of Genesis 1-3. We were tired and expected the reading to be a good bed time story to put us to sleep, but the lively discussion that spontaneously followed kept us up at least thirty minutes more. Although we had both read the story of creation and the fall of man (we probably could have almost told you the stories with exact detail), we found ourselves digging deeper, asking questions, and contemplating the meaning of what we read. We even carried the conversation over to the lunch table the next day, engaging my whole family in meaningful Biblical discussion.
"Well, if every reading is going to be like this first one, then we are in for something amazing this year!" Emily and I agreed.
No matter how many times you have read through the Bible in a year, no matter how many times you started and then quit, no matter if it is already half way through the month of January and you haven't even started, it is not too late.
Talk to a friend, get on board together, and commit to reading through the Bible in a year. Companionship in the journey is a huge blessing and motivator, plus it allows you to get twice as much out of the readings when you discuss them together. I pray that you will join Emily and I in this great adventure - the journey of seeking out and hearing God's voice.
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