I do not know about you, but I really want to incorporate regular Bible reading into my life, where it is intentionally going through the Bible cover to cover consistently.
I am in the Word of God every single day, and am in the Holy Bible a few times a day quite often. (I do not say this to brag. Goodness, no. That's not it at all. Keep reading.) That's all well and good, but I am a firm believer that it is absolutely essential to read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation, and to do so often. After all, we forget what we read or later we find that what we understood was incorrect or we remembered something incorrectly. Reading the Bible all the way through helps us to keep things in context and in proper perspective.
My lack of reading the Bible all the way through is stunting my growth spiritually. I am stagnate and am not on fire like I could be. I know that this lack of intimacy with the Word is what I am lacking. I feel like I am off. I am tired. I am worn-out. I am all-over-the-place and am finding it a challenge to focus. And I think it all stems from not being in the Bible so I can know and hear the very Word of God and experience the intimacy of being with the Father.
No. Strike that. I know without a doubt this is the reason and explains how I am not as sharp or as full of life and joy as I could be (and have).
I sure hope I am not the only one who goes through this. (I know I am not, but you know what I mean and why I say this. We can get to the point that we feel isolated and it all stems to that lack of drawing near and listening/hearing/reading the very Word of God.)
None of this is new to me, and I am sure it isn't new to you.
I have done this a couple of times, this reading the Bible all the way through cover to cover, but sadly it has been a while.
Now let me make a full confession here. I have spent more time planning to, and wanting to, than I have actually spent doing it.
And yet, here is another brutally honest factoid. I have not just wanted to, but I have tried to read through the Bible cover to cover, and have tried in multiple ways and multiple times over the last couple of years. And I have not lasted more than 2 weeks each time. In fact, several times, I have not lasted a week, no matter how sincerely hard I tried.
Do you know what I mean? Does this sound familiar? Is it just me?
What is wrong with me? I have wondered.
What am I doing that isn't working? Is there an answer?
How can I consistently be in the Word of God, and have that intimacy with the Father that frankly cannot be achieved any other way? And how can I read the Bible through cover to cover and without stopping? Moreover, how can I get the most out of being in the Bible?
These are questions to ponder as I turn to the Holy Bible and begin to read and journal through it on a more consistent basis.
Comments