A Long Time Coming

This past Sunday I finished reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, a journey I began back in July of last year.  I hadn't read the Bible from cover to cover in a long, long time.  The Holy Spirit lovingly convicted me that my reticence to do so was an indicator of my reticence to make time in my life for God, to quiet myself on a daily basis and to listen to Him and what He would have to say to me in His word.  This feeling was amplified last summer after listening to this podcast by Jerry Bridges which I would recommend if you have 15-20 minutes to listen.


Along with the Bible, I wanted to read and review the resource "How to Read the Bible Book by Book" by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart.  There are some parts of the Bible that are just plain confusing.  Basic questions like who is writing?  To whom are they writing to?  What is happening in their world that would give context to their writing?  How does this passage fit into the larger story of God?  These are all important questions and ones we should not just brush aside when reading the Bible.  We should ask them and this book is a good resource in answering many of them.

I recently posted on FB this website that will calculate the number of days that you want to use to read through the Bible and then send you daily email reminders about what section to read.  It was very helpful for me last year as I began halfway through the year in my reading plan.  If intrigued, give it a look...you may like it.

Finally, a common complaint from folks who read through the Bible is that it becomes "a thing to do" and it is hard to slow down and meditate on what God is actually saying in the Scriptures.  I agree wholeheartedly!!! This was part of my reticence in the first place, but I implemented the following principles which helped me enormously in my reading:

• First--read slowly.  Do not try to rush through and make it "a checklist" each day.  You are sitting down to read documents inspired by God, some of which have been around for over 3,000 years.  Reading too quickly will diminish the value and richness of what the Scriptures have to offer us.

• Second--use a pencil to underline, circle make notes in your Bible.  For some people this is anathema, but it works.  This helped me slow down and ask God questions as I was reading like "What are you trying to say here God?"  "What is important about this word?"  Why does this verse speak to my heart so strongly?"  These are all good questions that we should stop and ask God, believing that the Holy Spirit will answer us--because He (the Holy Spirit) wants to answer these questions.

• Third--use a journal to record a thought or two from your daily reading.  This is a practice I began decades ago and it is so meaningful and valuable to me.  I need to think, reflect, wrestle with stuff, in order to understand it and let it sink into my life.  Journaling is a great way to make this happen.

• Fourth--give yourself the time each day to do the three things listed above.  I broke some old habits and began getting up much earlier (and going to bed earlier as well) in order to have uninterrupted and quiet time.  It is not easy to get up before the children to get this quiet time, but whatever you have to do to get away and have quiet time, I recommend it...it is worth it.  Also, you too may break some old self-centered and selfish habits of "doing what I want to do" and in humility, seek the Lord on His terms.  He promises to "give grace to the humble."

So yesterday, after finishing on Sunday, I began reading the Bible again with this plan.  Already I can see passages I underlined and circled from last year and was excited to see the things that were important to me. I know I have been blessed and am seriously looking forward to doing it all over again.