It’s that time of year again, when blog posts abound, emails circulate, and sometimes even pamphlets come in the mail – all saying one thing, all directing your attention towards one goal: will you read through the Bible in 2018?
Let me acknowledge that, for many – possibly most – people, this is a daunting task. The Bible is not short by any description. Sometimes we are told that the world is divided into two kinds of people – those who read and those who do not. If you don’t think of yourself as a reader, you probably see challenges like this one as beyond you; as something that is easy for those who read regularly, yet all but impossible for those who don’t. And I tell you this as a pastor who a lot of folks think is a “reader” – I find reading through the entire Bible in a year to be a large task as well – though I read a lot, I read very slowly compared to most. Thus this goal of reading through the Bible in a year is not an impossible one, but certainly an endeavor that takes commitment.
But let me tell you why you should make that commitment alongside me…
The first time I ever read through the entire Bible was when I was starting high school. It started simply enough: a friend from a different church casually mentioned that he read a chapter a day, and that was enough for me to realize that I ought to be reading God’s Word with some sort of regularity as well. Until that point, I had mainly read it during church, during a Bible study, or perhaps when I had a problem or question that I thought the Word could answer. Otherwise, the Bible sat on my shelf between Sundays. But I resolved that if my friend could read a chapter a day, so could I. And I did. Just one chapter a day – usually just a few minutes of reading right before I went to bed. Sometimes I forgot, but eventually I developed the habit. Reading at this rate means you will work all the way through the Bible in a little less than 3 1/2 years. And so, near the end of high school, I finished my first read through of the entire Bible. And let me tell you: I learned a ton! I saw all kinds of things about God, about people, even about myself that I had never noticed or heard of before. And that’s the first value in reading all the way through the Bible: to see what God has said.
Yet I can already hear the arguments: “But pastor, don’t you forget most of what you read with such a big book?” And the answer is “yes, you usually do.” And that was my mindset all throughout college – I read something from the Word everyday, but never in an orderly fashion. Sometimes it was related to a Bible study that I was a part of, other times, I would simply read a book of the Bible that sounded interesting to me. In short, I was reading, but it was haphazard. See, I had misunderstood: I thought that if I couldn’t remember everything, then why try? Instead, what I came to realize later is that repeated exposure is what builds memory – you remember a bit more each time you read the same thing over again. What’s more, doing so is also what builds connections…
Once I got to seminary, I began to realize that my haphazard reading meant that I usually read the parts of the Bible that I found interesting (the Gospels, Old Testament narratives) and ignored the parts that didn’t seem as enjoyable to read (the Prophets). That’s when I realized that I needed to read through the Bible again, which I did, this time using an ESV “One Year” Bible that somebody had left on a free giveaway table in the student commons. This plan mixed the Old and New Testaments together and I can honestly say that it was one of the most formative times of my spiritual life because I began to see connections between the Old and New Testaments that I had never realized existed before. That’s the second value in reading: to see how God’s Word is put together, to see how the message at the beginning is the same message in the middle, and is the same message at the end. Each part of the Bible is necessary for pulling together that entire big picture, that entire story of who God is, who we are, and what the Lord has done and will do.
Later, once I became a pastor, I decided to read the Bible through from beginning to end – no Old and New Testament readings each day, just starting at the beginning and reading until the end at a rate of about 3-4 chapters per day so that I would finish in a year. This was also a challenging endeavor: without the changing of genres, there are parts of the Bible that became very monotonous for me at times. I don’t mean to imply that God’s Word is boring – far from it! But instead, I began to realize that the change in attention and reading style I had before was more helpful for me – it kept me focused, it held my attention because I wanted to see how what I had just read in the Old Testament informed or applied to or connected with what I was going to read in the New Testament. Without that change, my reading – though still fruitful – seemed more like a slog than a joy. This is the third lesson: find a reading plan that works you through the entire Bible in a way that is helpful. Don’t just pick up whatever your favorite pastor of way back when did or whatever your favorite blog recommends, think intentionally.
So why do I write all of this? For two reasons:
- To show you that reading through the Scriptures on a regular basis with some sort of a plan or system is incredibly helpful for your spiritual growth. It has been for mine, at least. I can honestly say that the times when I was reading through God’s Word with intention have led to much greater growth and maturity than those times when I’ve thought “I don’t really need a plan…I’ll just read this book for awhile…and then maybe that one next…”
- The other reason is to encourage you to think through what plan would be best for you personally as you read through the Bible systematically. Some of you have personalitites where you can just start at the beginning and read to the end. Some of you read faster, others slower. Some of you should consider a more literal translation of the Bible for your daily reading, others a less literal one. Some of you should look to a program that has you re-read certain books throughout the year, others of you should stick with something straightforward – simply getting the reading done and having time to reflect will be a large enough goal as it is.
As for me? I’m using a plan called “Bible Eater” by Pastor Trent Hunter. It mixes 2-3 Old Testament chapters each day alongside one New Testament chapter. It provides variety – even “off days” for when you forget or get behind in your reading – while still working through the entire Bible in a year. If you are at a loss for what to do in 2018, I’d encourage you to take a look. I especially enjoy the intentionality with how Old Testament and New Testament books are paired together.
Whatever plan you settle on, whatever strategy is most helpful, realize that this will be more than worth your time and commitment. Don’t let analysis paralysis set in – whatever plan you choose will take commitment and none of them are “perfect”. So pick one and trust the Lord to use it. You may find a system that you love for years to come. Or you may find that simply keeping your commitment is what is necessary and you’ll do something different next year. But never forget…God’s Word is useful in so many ways (2 Timothy 3:16-17) – the time you spend in it shall never be wasted as you gain a larger picture of your great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
