Happy New Year, y'all!
I know it's been a while since there's been a blog post, but I wasn't able to think of anything worth blogging about. If this was a personal blog, it would be easier, but since this is the church's blog, my intent is to keep these posts to topics that are meaningful and edifying to those who might read them.
This particular post is perhaps a day late. Nonetheless, I thought it might be good for you or someone to still read. For many believers in America, the arrival of a new year often means the arrival of new Bible reading plans. If you are looking for a new plan, our website has a nine different plans for you to choose from that you can print out and use. You can find all nine of them here.
I won't speak to all of them, but I do have a few suggestions. If you haven't read the Bible in its entirety before, I encourage a more aggressive reading plan. One that gets you the big picture quicker and one that tends to be more challenging to do. Sometimes a plan that involves more reading and time can be easier to stick to than a plan that requires less reading and time. Possibly because easier plans can be forgotten about or the consequence of missing one day is viewed as insignificant. But after missing a few days, the consequence is no longer insignificant, and the number of days missed overwhelms the individual. Two aggressive plans on our website would either be Professor Grant Horner's reading plan or the Bible in 90 days plan.
Another advantage of using aggresive plans, is that if you do miss a day, it's not a big deal. Unlike slower plans, where missing a day could potentially throw off the schedule for the year, and if you don't catch up, you are always reminded that you are either behind or you have missed certain sections and thus have failed the plan. Of course, the signficance of this will depend largely on your personality. Whereas the faster plans have plenty of room for missed days. This is because these plans will cover the Bible multiple times in a year and since you read 8-12 chapters the day before, you don't feel the guilt as much when a day is missed. Again, your personality will drive how you respond in these situations.
Now, other things to consider on this topic. Because it is a new year, do not think you must start a new plan. You can stick with the one you are on, the one you didn't finish, or were behind on. We must be careful not to let the calendar place an undue burden on ourselves, or allow the expectations of society or even the cultural practices of the church to pressure us onto something we don't necessarily need to do.
Maybe, if you're tired of starting with Genesis, again, and never getting to Revelation or to the minor prophets, because you get stuck in Leviticus or lost in Numbers. Maybe, you start with the end and go backwards. I don't mean that you read the Bible line by line backwards, but the ordering of the books would be backwards. Or better yet, an even simplier solution is that if you regularly get stuck in Leviticus or another book, or you fall behind for one reason or another. Don't worry about catching up. Ignore it, pick up where the plan has you for that day. Start anew and start fresh. What matters is not the plan, but you meditating on His Word day and night.
Oh, and if you haven't picked a plan yet for this year, don't feel like it's too late. Either pick a plan that doesn't require a whole year, or simply start whereever that plan would have you start for the date you do start. The key is to be in the Word, and to develop a habit and a hunger to be in His Word.
As for me, my reading plan for the year is a customized plan. It has me reading through the Old Testament in a year, while covering a chapter of Proverbs and Psalms each day, and then repeating them. For the New Testament, I am intending to read through it in the Greek, so I have the entire New Testament spread out over the entire year, as my Greek is not so great. Overall, this plan is less aggressive than most actually, but the Greek will hurt, so prayer would be appreciated.
I too, will be praying for you all, as you seek to know and to meditate on His Word daily. If you have a plan picked out feel free to share what it is in the comments. If you have any questions about any of the plans, please ask.
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of Yahweh, and on his law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:1-2