Trekking Through the Word in 2012

Trekking Through the Word in 2012

One of the things I enjoy most about the Christmas season is its close association (for obvious reasons) with the new year. Christmas Day arrives, and one week later, a fresh year begins. For me, January 1 seems to symbolize inspiring possibilities and new potential; and, of course, many people take advantage of that feeling by forming a few resolutions for the coming year. Over twenty years ago I made a New Year’s resolution to read through the whole Bible in the next 12 months, and it turned out to be one of the best goals I’ve ever set. By God’s grace I’ve kept it up pretty faithfully since then, and I can assure you that the benefits are incalculable. 

This year I'd like to invite all of you to join me. If you can commit about 20 minutes a day to read your Bible, you can finish the entire book in a year. We have made several different reading plans available in the foyer. One takes you through the Bible in roughly chronological order. Another follows the order the books are arranged in our Bible. A third plan has you reading in 4 different places in the Bible every day, just to spice things up. If none of those looks appealing, I have a few others in my files and there are even more whole-Bible reading plans available online. I’m sure we can work together to find one that looks good to you. Let me know if you need any help.

Needless to say, if you’re not reading your Bible much at all on a daily basis, zero to twenty might be too ambitious; you might be wiser to select a reading plan that requires less time. If this is your situation, we’ve made one more plan available that will take you through the whole New Testament, reading just 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Whatever you decide, please take up this challenge to read God’s word every day. Get a reading plan, pick a daily time, and then amputate a 20-minute item from your current schedule (because you can’t just keep adding things to your schedule forever, you know!). Who knows what God will do in our church if we get in the word together in 2012!