Category Archives: Bible Reading Plan

An Everyday Bible

Posted on by
Reply

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.” – C. H. Spurgeon

The following is an article “Rambling Reflection on an Everyday Bible” written by Pastor Joel Ellis of Reformation OPC, Apache Junction, AZ:

You may not be a reader–and if this is the case, allow me to express my condolences and encourage you to believe there is still time to learn to love it–but if you are a Christian, there is one book above all others that you will love and to which you must return again and again. My life, thinking, character, vocabulary, and values have been shaped by Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton, Defoe, Latham, Dickens, Homer, and Heinlein, but the book that has made and remade me more than any other, beyond any comparison, is the Holy Bible.

I never understood how a person’s primary reading and study Bible could be twenty years old and still look almost new. I have some old Bibles, and some of them I still use in various ways. But my everyday Bibles wear out fairly quickly. They go with me all the time. Maybe I am careless, and yes, if I purchased more expensive Bibles, they might last a little longer. But it’s not as though I am buying cheap Bibles or purposefully abusing them. They simply get worn out. They are supposed to. They spend every day in my hands, pocket, or bag. I have Bibles that are in practically new condition. They are the ones that rarely come off the shelf and are never read, only consulted.

I have a pair of dress shoes that I have owned for twenty years. I wear them every Sunday, and only on Sundays unless I officiate a wedding or funeral during the week. I would never dream of putting them on otherwise. They are stiff, uncomfortable, and after wearing them a while, my back begins to hurt. They are very good shoes, depending on your definition of good. They’ve lasted more than twenty years, and I will probably still be wearing them twenty years from now unless I wear out first. Kirstie may even be able to bury me in them! (If so, I’m taking them off as soon as the resurrection occurs.) Can you guess how many pairs of everyday shoes I have worn out in the last twenty years? I rarely replace my everyday shoes until they have holes in them and the soles are completely worn through. And if I had to choose between my worn out daily shoes and my dress shoes, I am wearing the everyday shoes with holes in the soles every time.

This is not to shame you if you have taken better care of your everyday Bible than I have, but it is to suggest that an everyday Bible is meant to be worn out: worn out from use, from reading, study, prayer, and wrestling with the text. I don’t purposefully abuse my everyday Bibles, but I also do not try to maintain their original, pristine condition. I don’t want my daily Bible to be stiff, with pages still stuck together and the gold edges unmarred. My daily Bibles are usually dog-eared, coffee-stained, and somewhat floppy. The pages are smudged with pen, highlighter, and oil from my hands. The binding is now supple, eventually a little too loose. I want my daily Bible to be good enough quality–preferably sewn, not glued–that it won’t fall apart in the first year, but not so expensive that I am afraid of wearing it out or letting it develop signs of use and abuse.

Brothers and sisters, enjoy wearing out your daily Bible. It should be a constant companion and comfort and fit you like a good pair of everyday shoes. —JME

Profitable Bible Reading

Posted on by
Reply

by Dennis Gundersen

Recently, I read a book about profitable Bible reading in which the author suggested, when you read the Scriptures, “Endeavor to learn something new from every verse before you leave it.”

Really? 
Ok. 
In other words, make it my aim to discover something new from every verse I read? And stay right there in my reading until I can find something new?

Well, that sounds like a sure-fire way to get stuck. With that approach, I’ll be at a lasting standstill for most of my Bible reading from now on. I know the author means well and wants us to get maximum profit from our Bible reading, and not read casually or inattentively. But I think this suggestion is quite a bit over the top.

I must say, let’s get real here. For one, after you’ve been a believer for a few years, most days it’s going to be rare that you discover something new even in each chapter you read. You may wear yourself out making the effort, but the fact is, you’ve become pretty familiar with a lot of the Scriptures and may not be at all able to spot something new.

I’ll even go so far as to say, if you do find something fresh in every verse you read, well … I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re not reading it right. With that approach, chances are, you’ll be making stuff up. If you can find something new in every verse, your imagination is getting carried away and you’ll be seeing what really isn’t there.

May I suggest a few sounder, more realistic goals about what to aim for in Bible reading? A lot more could be said, of course, but my purpose is to state a few goals that are in contrast with the idea that somehow a Bible reader needs to find something new or fresh in every verse he reads. Or that it’s even of benefit to your soul to try. No — how about these goals instead:

1) Ask the Lord to show you what you need for today
That’s really more of your need than to see something fresh or new. Why, even if you do find something fresh in a verse that you didn’t see before, how long is that going to stay with you anyway? You know. It’ll slip out of your head in no time. Probably before the day is done.

But the Spirit of God is probably not really interested in enlarging your storehouse of Bible knowledge. He is interested in equipping you for a holy walk with God – today. Ask Him to show you how to walk with Him today. After all, as Jesus said in another context, “each day has enough trouble of its own.” Each of your days has needs of its own, that the Lord knows are coming. Ask Him to prepare you by your reading.

2) Ask the Lord to feed you 
If a man’s wife cooks him a meal with healthy, nutritious, and tasty foods, is it really important to him whether anything in the meal is new? Isn’t he glad and thankful to have this food again, even if it’s something he’s eaten a hundred times before? And he enjoys it. Again. It may even be a favorite. Much like singing a hymn that you’ve sung a hundred times before, and you love it every time. You need not concern yourself with newness in what you digest from the Word – look to the Lord to feed and nourish you. That’s more of what you need.

3) Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to you — again
If you’re a saved individual, the Spirit of God has already revealed Jesus to you. But what do you need more than to keep seeing Christ? Even if it’s features about Him that you have seen before. So what? You need to see Jesus again and worship Him again. The Spirit seeks to glorify Christ, we’re told in the gospel of John. Even the things you know about Jesus, you haven’t seen sufficient glory in those beautiful, wondrous features of Him. Ask Him to show you Jesus, again and again.

4) Ask the Lord to show you something in the Scriptures that you can serve others with today
Something that will help you be a blessing to others. Some light with which you can encourage other believers today. Or something that will provoke you to pray for people in need today. Or something that will help you be more effective in bringing the gospel to unconverted people you will meet, today. Again, this is a much more worthwhile goal than “show me something new I’ve never seen before.” How about, make me a useful instrument of love to others? As Jesus said, to love our neighbor, “This is the Law and the prophets.”

We all know that you’ll have occasions that you read the Word and none of the above will happen. You won’t experience any noticeable, felt edification at the moment. But you know that it’s still been worth your while to read and meditate on the Word. Often the effects and use of a reading are only consciously realized later.

When you’re reading and none of these benefits seem to be coming, you know what? Wait on the Lord to shape your life with His Word at the time of His choosing. And if you have time, keep reading until you have been fed. Years ago, I heard a young, new disciple say “I overcame this idea of getting my Bible reading done and then being satisfied that I did it, by taking a different approach. Now I keep reading until I don’t want to stop.” Not limiting yourself to the chapter numbers on a Bible reading plan or schedule. How about not quitting until you get something nourishing? Be like Jacob, refusing to go away until He blesses you.

Sure, there will be days that won’t work. You won’t have time to keep on reading. You have to get to work. The duties of the day press in on you. In that case, give thanks that you’ve been able to read the Word and know that God will produce fruit from the Word in your life, according to His will and in His time.

So, while more could be said, this is probably enough … for today.

Have you read it?

Posted on by
2

I can well remember hearing a preacher in the course of his sermon asking a series of questions. His first question was “how many of you believe the Bible is the word of God?”

It was a Christian audience and so all indicated that they did by raising their hands.

Then he asked, “how many of you have read it?”

Many raised their hands once again until he quickly added, “…all of it?”

I could hear audible grumblings around me as many of those with raised hands now slowly lowered them. Some mumbled, “I’ve read most of it”, or “I’ve read all of the New Testament.”

One thing became clear, less than 10% of the audience had actually read the Bible through.

He then asked, “how many of you have read any other book?”

All raised their hands once again.

Then the preacher said, “do you see how inconsistent this is? Here you are, having read other books, but the book you claim to believe is inspired by God Himself, is not something you have read. What does this say about your belief in the Bible?”

The silence that ensued was more than a little uncomfortable.

He went on, “If you sincerely believe the Bible is the word of God, should you not have read it?”

Once again, he paused, allowing for full force of the question to have its intended impact.

Finally, he then said, “Here’s my challenge – start today and read three chapters a day and four on Sundays and by this time next year you will have read the Bible through.”

I am sure there are better methods for reading through the Bible but the preacher’s point is a good one. We as Christians need to be “people of the book.” If there is one book we should read or should have read, it is the Bible. All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16) and it is unlike any other book out there. Job wrote that he loved God’s law more than his necessary food (23:12). He would rather go without food than miss time with the word of God. Can the same be said about us?

Justin Taylor wrote the following: “I really believe in the value of not just reading, but hearing, God’s Word… In listening to an old lecture recently by J. I. Packer, he made the comment that it was not until after the 17th century (as far as he could tell) that people started doing silent prayers and reading as opposed to praying and reading out loud. For most evangelicals, silence represents the vast majority of our reading and praying. But I wonder if that’s to our detriment. One of the great enemies to Bible reading and praying is a wandering mind—and one of the great ways to make your mind wander is to do everything in your mind without involving your voice and ears! . . . Here’s something else to consider: the entire Bible on audio is usually about 75 hours (or 4500 minutes). If you commute to work 5 days a week, that’s about 260 days a year. And if it takes you, say, 17 minutes to commute each way to work—and if you listen to the Bible on audio during your drive each way—you’ll get through the entire Bible twice in a year.”

There are many good daily Bible reading plans. For those who would like the convenience of an online source there are now many options. New technology allows not only the reading of the Bible, but hearing it too. If you enjoy the ESV here are many different plans to choose from – each of which allow for each daily segment to be sent to your e-mail address or as a podcast.

Sidenote: The REFORMATION STUDY BIBLE in the ESV is available on sale in bonded and genuine leather (in burgundy and black) here. I really love this Study Bible. Its the one I use most in my study and preaching.