Let's Read the Bible Together for 2016!

One of the ongoing and constantly developing passions for me has been the daily reading of Scripture. Through it, I've come to recognize the value of going through the entire Bible in some organized fashion, every year. For one thing, it ensures that I've read the entire Bible. But also, after a number of years, the story lines become more familiar as do the more obscure passages and books. Repeated reading of the entire Bible has it's advantages. With each annual reading, I've come to more fully appreciate Paul when he says, 

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

It's all there for a reason, every word of it. As such, we should have a desire to absorb as much of it as possible. The only way to do that is to read the whole book. While few people have the time to do it in one sitting, or over a truncated period of time, all of us have a few minutes a day we can devote to reading the Scriptures. Spread those brief daily interludes out over a year, and reading the Bible becomes an easy-to-achieve goal.

This is where Bible reading plans come in. We have a

number of them posted on the WBF web site. You can see them here.  There's a plan for every reading level. There are also a number of apps that can be very helpful in daily reading. I use You Version's Bible reading app. I highly recommend it but there are other good ones on the web site as well. 

Making the commitment is the first step. It can be life-changing but it requires some diligence. The important thing is to make it as easy as you can on yourself and find a way to make it easily accessible. 

A good start will include a specific time of day set aside to get your reading done. Don't go in with the idea that, "Sometime today I'm going to read my Bible." It won't work. You'll find that busyness will fill your day and your reading will keep getting put off until there's no time left. For me, I have found what works best in my day. I read as soon as I get up. I've had to discipline myself not to check my email, respond to any texts or messages or get distracted in any other manner. The first 15-20 minutes of my day is devoted to my Bible and some "quiet time" before the Lord, asking Him to speak to me through His word just prior to beginning. This means I have to allow for this quiet time. I'm not an easy or early riser. I've had to make the decision to get up 15-30 minutes earlier in order to get my reading in. That was hard, at first. But, as I've grown accustomed to it, it has become the sweetest part of my day. I'm now at the point of being uncomfortable if I miss it. If I skip this part of my morning, I inevitably end up trying to cram my reading into the last minutes of the day when I am least attentive and prone to a cursive rather than careful reading. 

Last year, we formed a group reading the Chronological Plan

together. I sent out an email with the day's passage listed. Frequently, there was also a short review/devotion included. We're going to do it again this year, starting Jan 1. Except, this time, we'll send the email out to our WBF email group and post a link to the WBF fb page. This will make it easier to manage and more accessible. If you're not a member of the email group or on fb, send me an email and I'll include you in the daily mailing. The review/devotion is optional. You can use the email to follow along in the plan or you can read on to see if the additional comments are any further edification to your reading.

I hope this can be an encouragement to you. We've all gone through the process of making the commitment then struggling to keep it. With a tool like this, you can use it to start, catch up or simply pick up from wherever we are. You can choose to follow along anonymously or comment via "reply" or in the comments sections of fb or the blog posting. 

I'll promise you this, if you stick with this through the coming year, it will change your life and change the way you read the Bible. Make it an annual commitment, and your soul will be enriched  while your walk with the Lord is strengthened.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Many thanks to the folks that joined us last year. Let's do it again!