I finally finished THE ONE YEAR BIBLE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, NIV, edited by F. Lagard Smith. I have read it before but not with the accompanying journal that required question answering on each daily Scripture reading. I read it in one year and nine days only because I got caught up December 8 with crossword puzzles and got behind.
Russ commented that only 15% of Christians have read the Bible in its entirety. That is so amazing to me, but not surprising, I guess. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment that encouraged Bible reading and attended a Christian college where we studied the entire Bible in our college career.
I have heard people say, "How do you read the Bible?" as if it is a great mystery that is extremely complicated. All I can say is to read it asking God to show you the beauty of His Word. Do not make it hard, just read. After you have read it through, read it again and again. Join Bible studies; study by yourself. The more you read, the closer to God you will become. His Word is so beautiful and is written in many forms such as stories, hymns, poems, allegories, parables, etc. Just read for enjoyment; and if you have never read it, read it for the first time in a Bible like I just finished that told me what I was going to read and what to expect or just a plain unadorned Bible.
One year I listened to the Bible on CD and read it also and finished the entire Bible in 65 days. Year before last I read the entire Bible (The Message) in 45 days. You just have to make up your mind to do it. Every time you read the Bible, God reveals something new to you that you didn't think of before. This year as I read, I almost became weepy when reading because the Word was soooo beautiful. New things jumped out at me. I am amazed at God's Word.
Please schedule a time to spend reading God's Word each and every day. Carry a Bible with you to read when you are in a doctor's office or some place else where you have to wait. God wants us to open His love letter to us and to pour out His blessings on us daily. He is love and wants us to know His great love for us.
Join us at Maury Hills as Russ begins a new series on reading the New Testament. I am excited because I had made up my mind to really study the New Testament only this year besides Bible Study Scriptures.
God loves you and so do I!!!! Start reading today. Don't use the excuse--I don't have time! Make time for God.
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Great post, Mom. I think The Message is such a good paraphrase of the Bible. And Beth Moore's Bible studies have taught me more about the Bible than I ever learned in other settings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article! Great word!!
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