How many times have you made it through January and through Genesis, only to throw in the towel before Valentine's Day -- the same day you decided to cancel your gym membership. You know, the one that you've been paying for but not using nearly enough?
Let's get this out of the way now: God never commands us to read through His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, in 365 days. NEVER! So, that guilt is off of the table. It's a nonstarter. Forget about it.
Don't believe me? Here's a list of Bible heroes who never once read through the entire Bible in a year: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah... John the Baptist, Peter, James, Paul... None of them even had the entire Bible that you and I have.
In fact, the only person in the Bible (other than Jesus, the Living Word) who could have possibly had access to every book and epistle of the Bible would have been the Apostle John; who was used of the Holy Spirit to pen the final book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation.
I repeat: "Nowhere In The Bible Are You Commmanded To Entirely Read It Through In One Year."
For some, reading through the Scriptures from beginning to end is a challenging, but achievable goal. For many others, it is more than a challenge; it is nigh impossible. After years of attempts, these dear Believers have stopped trying. Perhaps they've begun to think they're not smart enough, skilled enough, or God forbid, spiritual enough to reach that impossible dream. Perhaps you think that way.
But that way of thinking just isn't right. It's not true.
Here's the thing: God loves you; so much so that He died for you and did all that was necessary for you to spend Forever with Him. His love for you hasn't ever and will never change. He loves you no matter what. [John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 1:12, 1 John 5:11-13] If you never again open up your Bible, God's love for you will not deminish. His love is constant.
However, because He loves you, and wants the best for you, He longs to spend time with you and influence you for good. The more you are with Him in conversation, the more you talk to Him in prayer, and the more you listen to His words back to you through the Scriptures, the more like Him you will become.
Yes, a new year is about to unfold before you. Yes, you have a fresh start; like a do-over; a second chance; or third; or fourth; or whatever. Instead of choosing a Bible reading plan that is locked into "All Or Nothing" mode, choose one that will encourage your daily walk with the Lord without piling on unnecessary guilt.
For three years in a row, I read through my Bible "cover to cover" by reading it as it was written chronologically. [I described that here]. I don't tell you that to brag, but to say that this past year I purposefully slowed down and walked with Jesus through the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. Four books, not sixty-six. To be absolutely transparent, I'm still not done with my reading plan. I'm guessing I'll finish it in a month or so. And, that's ok.
Did I fail? No! This journey with Jesus has been amazing! I've learned so much while I walked slowly with the Lord and made notes along the way. Come February, I'll pick another Bible reading plan that will help me continue that walk with God and become more like Him throughout the rest of the year.
God is your goal. He should be. You are developing a relationship, not punching a clock. Spending time with Him in His Word is part of what Paul was describing when he said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," Philippians 3:13-14
Don't make the mistake of making your goal a number of chapters, or you will just focus on the numbers. If your goal is a certain amount of time each day, then your focus will be on the clock. Wrong focus leads you to be out-of-focus, which soon results in having no focus.
Before I go, there are lots of great Bible plans out there. Pick one that fits you, but at the same time will stretch you just a bit and help you grow. While you're looking, you may want to consider looking at the Olive Tree Bible Reader app. It is cross-platform, from Android to Apple to Kindle; so check out your app store. Also, Olive Tree is available for your multiple devices and can be synced together. Best of all, it's totally free and there are tons of Bible reading plans.
If this post has been a help to you, please share it and let me know!
