Want to read the Bible in one year? Two great plans to achieve your goal

 

 

One of my resolutions for 2020 was to read the Bible from cover to cover, something I have never done before. I am currently reading from The Daily Bible in Chronological Order 365 Daily Readings. This was gifted to me by my coworker Shannon years ago and it wasn't until this year that I pulled it from my shelf, committed to finishing it. What I like about this Bible is that the average daily reading is no more than 5 pages. Also, there is a narrative section that sets the scene for what I'm about to read. 

In saying all of this, are there days where I miss my reading? YES. Are there times when I don't remember what I just read? YES. Do I get discouraged? ABSOLUTELY. 

God knows all of this and He recently replied through my friend whose name is...  GRACE. 

I met Grace at bible school and she was born in Vietnam, just like me. Grace has read through the Bible more than once and I thank God for having her in my life. She has become one of my close friends. One day, Grace asked me to edit her grammar for a devotional that she was going to present. As I read the story, I knew it was no accident that I would be the person to read and learn from it. It is called The Bible & the Coal Basket. The author is unknown. 

 

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?”

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.”  The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You will have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. 

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was “impossible to carry water in a basket,” and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that  even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got very far. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Papa, it’s useless!”

“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. “Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. That is the work of God in our lives. To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His son.”

 

I've learned to give myself grace when reading the Bible. To not find excuses to quit reading. To know that in 3 months, I will finish. And what about next year? I will do it again, excited to continue building on what I've learned and know God more. Next year, I will use The Bible Recap. This is a podcast created by Tara-Leigh Cobble who has read through the Bible 10 times. I learned about this podcast from my coworker Adrianne. After each daily reading, you listen to her explain the scripture and give a "God shot", which she describes as a picture of God that you took that day and what you saw about God's character. Tara-Leigh says, "The primary role of Scripture is to show me who God is, and if I behold God then my life will naturally begin to conform around what I learned about him." The daily podcast lasts about 8 minutes long. If you want to join me for 2021's reading, start here to get the links to download the podcast, reading plan, Bible app and more. Also, if you don't want to wait until January 1st, you can go to the podcast settings and choose "play in sequential order". 

There are so many reading plans and these are just two options. I pray you will be encouraged to read God's word. I know it can be hard. Before you read the Bible, you can seek His help with these 5 prayers that are from the Bible Recap plan.

1.God, give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

2. God, let any knowledge I gain serve to help me love You and others more and not puff me up.

3. God, help me see something new about You I've never seen before.

4. God, correct any lies I believe about You or anything I misunderstood.

5. God, direct my steps according to Your Word.        

 

I dedicate this post to my friend Grace. You inspire me to live a Christ centered life. You are humble, loving, adventurous, brave and a faith filled daughter of God. 

Grace and me December 2019