Weekly Roundup: On Reading the Bible
The end of 2019 is quickly approaching, which means that resolution and plans for 2020 are right around the corner! I’ve compiled some articles about Bible reading to help start the new year on the right foot.
Resources
Get a Basic Overview of the Bible | R.C. Sproul | Ligonier
R.C. Sproul gives some encouragement to Christians who have never read the whole Bible. (Yes, you’re not alone!)
Virtually every Christian at some point has resolved to read the entire Bible. If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, it’s natural not to want to miss a word of it. If God delivered a letter to your mailbox, I am sure you would read it. But the Bible is a pretty big letter, and its sheer bulk is somewhat daunting, even to the person with the best of intentions. Therefore, few Christians actually keep a resolution to read through the Bible.
At seminars, I often ask for a show of hands indicating how many people have read the entire Bible. Rarely do even 50 percent of the people answer “yes.” I ask, “How many of you have read the book of Genesis?” Almost everyone raises his hand. Then I say, “Keep your hand up if you’ve also read Exodus.” Only a few hands are lowered. “Leviticus?” That’s when hands start dropping quickly. With Numbers it’s even worse.
Why Reading Your Bible Daily is the Best Way to Be Productive | Reagan Rose | Redeeming Productivity
I shared this article with a couple of friends once, and they liked it so much they printed it in their church’s bulletin! I hope you find it that helpful, too.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the only way to walk by faith in this world of distraction (Hebrews 12:2). So, to avoid straying from our purpose, we must be continually looking to Him through reading our Bibles. And therein also we will find our purpose recalibrated by that great mission objective which is found everywhere in the Scriptures: Namely, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Your One Thing: Devotional Minimalism | Clint Archer | The CrippleGate
May we have one daily priority: communing with God through Bible reading and prayer!
In the frenetic pace of our lives we are all daily presented with urgent, important problems to navigate. Work demands, family responsibilities, health requirements, time constraints, and innumerable other forces are constantly foisted onto our cluttered priority list. And the grind is positively Sisyphean in its inevitable recurrence.
Often the first item to get cut from the list is our time of devotions. Bible reading, prayer, and even church attendance may be relegated to the realm of important-not-urgent (“Quadrant Two” for you Seven Habits adherents). But what inevitably happens is that as our pace of productivity increases, our neglect of our most basic spiritual needs ends up starving our soul of its vital devotional oxygen.
Bible Reading Plans for 2020 | Nathan W. Bingham | Ligonier
Ligonier has compiled a lot of different Bible reading plans. Pick one and stick with it!
I read, and save, more articles that I’m able to post in the Weekly Roundup. To see all of the articles I’ve saved over the years, see my Evernote collection.
Photo by Shelby Miller on Unsplash