Let's Start Exodus Together On Jan 18!

For those who have been following the "Daily Bread" reading program, we complete Genesis today. We start Exodus on Wed Jan 18. If you haven't been reading along or if you've fallen behind, you can start new with us in Exodus! You can find the daily readings on the WBF fb page.

Here are some tips that may help with your daily reading:

• Don't feel that your goal is to finish according to the calendar! The goal is to start a new pattern for your day. Nothing will kill a reading plan quicker than getting behind a few days. Some fall behind, see how many chapters are needed to get caught up--and throw in the towel. Instead, if you miss a day or two (it happens to all of us) and you feel like there are too many readings to get caught up, just pick up where you left off. The goal is to develop a daily discipline that will bless you for the rest of your life. You can go over the missed chapters next year 😇.
• That being said, there is a lot to benefit from in developing a routine. Try to get your reading done before you start your day. It really is worth it to get up 15 minutes earlier and begin your day with your Father, in His word. While the compulsion to check your email and messages can be great, fight it. Just pick up your Bible in the quiet moments of the morning and start reading. If you can adopt this approach and maintain it for a few weeks, you'll never miss a day. 
• Resist the urge to stop and study. One of the great benefits of a daily reading program can be found in
  
  familiarizing yourself with the Bible and its story arcs. In-depth study certainly has its place and can be a rich expereince. But, if you allow your daily reading time to stretch into hours, it becomes too easy to get bogged down. Highlight, underline, make a memo and go back after you've finished the daily passages.
• Don't chain yourself to your favorite physical Bible! If you
  
  forget it or wait until you have time to pick it up, find your place and begin reading, it will become easy to slip. With all the advancements we have in technology, there are multiple ways to access your plan. I'll list some of them below. 
• Avoid the temptation to "give it a try". If you can stick with this for a month, it will become an integral part of your day. Once that happens, Bible reading becomes an integral part of your life. It is the living Word of God. We will always learn from it, always be challenged by it, always grow by it, always be comforted by it...but only if we are always reading it. 

Here are some tools that can make it exceptionally easy to do your reading. I've found that I do best when I have multiple ways to access my plan. I use my smart phone, iPad, computer and even...sometimes, my Bible! Once I got over the need to "feel the pages" (our aim is to absorb the Word, not experience a book), I found it was much easier to finish my daily reading. Some of the methods listed will even send you reminders on a daily basis. Another excellent online, multi-platform tool is You Version. There's absolutely nothing wrong with picking up a book and relishing the feel of the pages. But, if we wanted to experience the Bible "the way it was written", we would all be using scrolls and papyrus! Use the technology available to us, God is just a sovereign over pixels as He is over paper!

A great way to get your daily reading in is to listen to

your Bible. Most apps will read the passage from your phone. You can link it to your car speakers and listen on your commute or while you're running errands. You Version has a great audio feature that can help with this. Some folks use a Bible on CD set to listen. Hearing Scripture while you're in your car beats talk radio, even Christian talk radio!

May the Lord bless you as you read. I firmly believe there is nothing better we can do to improve our spiritual health and yo grow in our sanctification than to learn to read the Bible in a structured, disciplined and dedicated manner. With all the study I get to do in preparing a sermon, counseling and teaching, nothing has impacted me as much as my daily Bible reading. Let's do it together!