Reading the Bible Through
On the day that I write this article, I have just completed reading the Bible through for the 24th time. Over the years I have kept a record of how many times I have read the Bible through in the flap of a Bible that I received from the Georgia Baptist Convention when I was ordained as a Pastor. In 1992 when I was Pastor of First Baptist Church of Ranburne, Alabama, I became convicted that while I was reading and studying the Bible almost on a daily basis, I had never read the Bible through in a systematic way. So in that year, as a part of my daily devotions and prayer time, I began to read the Bible systematically from Genesis to Revelation. I completed my first trip through the Bible the next year. Since that time I have systematically read through the Bible 24 times. I don’t share this with you to brag or to try and convince you that I am some kind of super spiritual Christian. I share this with you to encourage you to make it your goal to systematically read the Bible through each year as I do. The Bible is like no other book in the world. The Bible is a life changing book because it is a book that is alive with God’s power, wisdom and truth. In the pages of the Bible, God reveals Himself to us, He speaks to us and He gives us the wisdom we need to live the blessed life that He wants us to live. Through prayer we have the privilege of speaking to God, in the pages of the Bible, God speaks to us. Lest you think your life is so busy that you don’t have time to read the Bible, it takes only 15 minutes a day of reading the Bible at normal reading speed to the Bible through in a year. By the way, if you are too busy to read the Bible and pray every day, then you are too busy with things that are far less important. As you plant the Word of God in your mind and heart God will bless you, strengthen you and make you more usable and useful in His service. For me, reading and studying the Bible never gets old. For me, the truth of God’s Word is fresh and new every day. Why don’t you start your own Bible reading plan today? The trip you take with God from Genesis to Revelation will be a blessing! See you Sunday, Bro. Chris