Resource by Brandt Van Roekel
It’s almost that time of the year where we begin a Bible reading plan together as a church. If you have never read through the Bible before, why not commit to reading through this year with us? And if you’ve already read through the Bible, read it again!
Christians for centuries past have made it a spiritual discipline to read through the Bible—not just once—but regularly. The word of God is incredibly rich. It is food for the Christian, not just a book to be read once. It’s where we learn about God. It’s where we learn to follow Him according to His plans and purposes or our flourishing. It’s where we see the beauty and glory of God’s goodness through Jesus Christ.
But don’t just take my word for it. The Psalmist writes about God’s word in Psalm 19:7 – 11:
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
I’m sure David would say to us, if he could, “If you’re not reading through the Bible with us, you’re missing out!”
The plan that we are going to work through this year is called the five day reading plan. I’ve chosen it because it is a 5-day a week plan, rather than a 7-day a week plan. That means that if, like me, you often get bogged down in your reading and fall behind, you have a little margin to catch up more easily each week.
Also, last year we read the Bible chronologically—or roughly straight through—from front to back. Unfortunately, that means we didn’t get to the New Testament and the person the whole Bible points to (hint: it’s Jesus) until late in the year. The 5 day plan includes the New Testament in the plan right from the beginning.
If you would like to join us, you can download a free PDF for the plan here. I’d encourage you to keep it on a file on your phone or print it and put it in your physical Bible.
Lastly, the Bible is a really old book. Its newest parts are nearly 2000 years old. And its most ancient portions are closer to 3400 years old. It’s also not from our culture. Because of this, some of it strikes us as very very strange. Some of it may even seem offensive to us. For these reasons, it can often be daunting to begin to read the Bible through for the first time. However, one of the best ways of persevering through it is to have some help understanding what we are reading. Praise God, there are some really helpful resources out there! The Bible Project YouTube page, found here, is one of the best free and engaging resources available. They do excellent overviews of each book of the Bible. I commend them to you, as you read.
Christ City, you will never regret reading Scripture more. It’s through Scripture, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we come to know more and more who this God is who has loved us and saved us. It’s through Scripture that we learn to follow Jesus and live life that is truly life. It’s through Scripture that we are changed, as we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Devour the word.
Brandt Van Roekel