Scripture is the Christian’s lifeblood, which is a theme that runs through all of the Bible. In Genesis 2, God breathes, and Adam is given life. God commands Ezekiel to preach the Word to the valley of dry bones, and they are given life. Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is “God-breathed” and profitable to us (2 Tim. 3:16). To be truly living involves making God’s Word a part of you, meditating on it and internalizing it. Not only does God use it to bring us to eternal life initially, but also as a means of His grace to exterminate our remaining deadness. Where else could we go? These are the words of life (John 6:68).
One of the main reasons people quit an exercise routine or diet is because they don’t start with something sustainable. We can often get a little too ambitious when trying to develop new habits. Therefore, we decided to provide a plan that focuses on the whole New Testament and selected passages from the Old Testament. We think this is a very sustainable way to get into God’s Word daily for a year. After that, you’ll know that you’ve read through the entire New Testament, and you’ll know what’s left to read the full Bible for yourself. Will you commit to this?
Tips for Success
Being overambitious isn’t the only pitfall when starting a new reading plan. As you seek to grow and deepen your relationship with God this year, remember these practical tips:
- If you fall very far behind in the plan, it’s easy to give up because of the sheer amount of time it’d take to catch up in a day. In this case, try doing only one “extra day” of reading each day until you’re back on schedule.
- Many of us have a perfectionist streak. Perfectionists have a tendency to focus on, research, or take notes on little details. If you find yourself in this category, you might feel overwhelmed by how much each passage contains. Our advice: read the day’s readings through first. Then, as you have time, get into the details. Trust that you will start to naturally make connections and deepen your understanding of Scripture just by committing to the bare-bones of the plan.
- Jot down your questions as you read. We will have times of question and answer with our pastors throughout the year.
- Few things will help you more than committing to this with one or two other people and discussing it regularly. Who are one or two people (possibly people more spiritually mature than you) that you could ask to go through the plan with you? Keep each other accountable and on track. After all, “…though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecc. 4:12).