Gathering in South Jersey

Every year I read through the Bible. This is a habit I started as a new Christian, but made a commitment to on the advice of a good friend of mine, and a mentor in my faith, when I was in my early 20s.

Some years its not easy; some days are dry, I admit. But through all the ups and downs of this discipline, I've seen some amazing things year after year in God's Word.

The best result of this habit, by far, is that I wind up constantly learning something new. After all, its been a year or more since I've read any given text. In the interval, lots has changed: my life, my circumstances, and certainly my mindset about my problems and successes.

Not only that, the people around me are constantly changing.

So, God's Word becomes not only a constant in my experience, but it is, of itself, and by God's Power, an UNCHANGING and TRUE ETERNAL WORD.

If you've never read the Bible in its entirety, you don't have to wait till January and your "New Year's Resolutions." You don't even need to finish the whole Bible in a year. But do start somewhere.

Here's a tip from my experience: start in John's Gospel; that's where I started in 1988. By the way, the first week after becoming a new Christian as a freshman in College I read John's Gospel every day--all 22 chapters every day that week. I was a little enthusiastic, wouldn't you say?

Another funny story about my early experience reading through the Bible I call "Getting Stuck in Leviticus." I read in the morning before classes as a second semester college Freshman. Most mornings I did fine. But when I got to Leviticus, I found myself falling asleep trying to read through some of the rules and laws about sacrifice that Moses describes in that book.

What did I do? I decided to skip them!

Reading through the Bible every year is not for the faint of heart; especially in today's busy world, it can feel like another "to-do." I myself have been guilty of spiritual pride in the past, as well as causing others to feel shame for not doing "as much as I do." God have mercy on me for this kind of legalistic, man-centered, and false spirituality.

Because of mistakes like these, I've had to reevaluate whether I even want to read the Bible over the years. But, God, by His grace, keeps bringing me back.

As a result, since 1988, I've read the entire Bible at least 20 times, and the New Testament and Psalms more like 40 (though I stopped counting many years ago--that's not the goal for me).

Because it is God's grace that has helped me, for all this, my reading of Scripture this year feels brand new, like I'm getting it for the first time.

So, its not important how you do it. I do think, however, at one point or another, every Christian must come to grips with the reality that God's Word is powerful and alone able to interpret the changing events of our lives.

Only by going back to it again and again can we discover the true character of our God and His great love for us.

Why not read the Bible today?