With my whole
heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I
hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:10-11 KJV)
Some of my Bibles |
It is the beginning of a new year—a fresh
start from God. The new year gives us
the opportunity to adopt new behaviors, set new goals. Hopefully, the new behaviors will be beneficial
to us personally and to others! New
calendars we just opened are a tangible sign of this fresh start. What will this year hold? Only God knows for sure; whatever it holds,
we can still learn, grow, and develop in our walk with the Lord.
Open thou mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalm 119:18 KJV)
The new year also affords us
the opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to all the possibilities
that the new year holds. Now is a
wonderful time to either begin or renew or deepen our relationship with Jesus.
As you prayerfully discern what God is
directing you to do this year, I hope that you will commit to reading the Bible
from cover-to-cover in 2016. This is my
new year challenge to you!
Some of my Bibles |
Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105 KJV)
Any time spent in God’s Word is never wasted. God’s Word’s goes out and does not return to
Him void (see Isaiah 55:11). The dividends
are amazing! Reading the whole of God’s Word allows us to get to
know the heart of our Heavenly Father and to begin to see themes,
interconnections, and more with ease. A
perk? It will help you find passages
with ease in a variety of settings.
Another perk? You will do much
better in Bible trivia games!
Keep in mind there are many atheists and agnostics
who have read the Bible cover-to-cover multiple times. We His people should hunger for the Word in
such a way that we will want to read all of it!
Some of my Bibles |
I have gone
astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy
commandments. (Psalm 119:176 KJV)
It is my heart’s sincere desire that you are
setting time aside in your daily schedule to commune with God and that you are
growing in your relationship with Him. God
loves you so much and desires nothing more than relationship with you. He loves you so much, in fact, He is crazy
about you! Keeping your eyes on the goal
(prize), will help you stay focused and not get off track. A word of caution: be kind to yourself,
realizing that some days or weeks will not be so great; things will go
wrong—give yourself the grace you deserve—give yourself the grace you would
give to others. Encourage yourself over
how far you have come.
From http://icliparts.com/cliparts/8iA/EzB/8iAEzB7aT.gif |
Time?
Yes, this does take time. However,
if we consider the amount of time we spend on social media or mindlessly
watching television; the cost is minuscule.
The cost is more than worth it in the end.
If my grandma, who only had a sixth grade
education could do it; so can you!
Grandma Emma made that commitment; she lived without many of the modern conveniences
we have, therefore, nearly everything took her much longer to accomplish.
My first Christmas: Grandma Emma is holding me. |
Since 2005, I have read the Bible from
cover-to-cover at least once each year, if not more! One time, I read the through the Bible in
ninety days (and even managed to read the New Testament twice in that period!).
Who will take me up on this little challenge? I will cheer you on; you can do this! Moreover,
this is where supportive relationships (accountability) with fellow brothers
and sisters in Christ are so helpful. Our
relationships allow us to lend a helping, supportive hand to a sister or
brother who is hurting or struggling; we can also be on the receiving end of
the help and support of others. How
about we support and encourage each other?
Why not make 2016 the year that you allow Christ to change you—making
you more and more like Him? Invite the
Holy Spirit to fill you and deepen your walk with the Lord. What is holding you back? I want to encourage you to commit to opening
yourself to what God wants to give you.
You may find that you’ll go places and do things you never thought that
you would do! Keep on reading/studying
God’s Word and praying!
A variety of plans exist that you can
select from to guide you in this endeavor.
If you happen to fall behind, please do not get discouraged—keep on
going and get caught up when you are able.
Here is a link that will take you to a
site that gives a variety of plans to read through the Bible in a year. Bible Reading Plans
My Bible |
What are you looking forward to most in
reading God’s Word this year? How can I
encourage you?
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of life and for
the gift of another new year and for all the possibilities that it holds. Help us to be faithful to You—doing what You
would have us to do each day. Deepen our
longing for You, so that we will press in and not quit until we have all that You
have to offer us. Instill deep within us
a hunger for Your Word that is not easily satisfied. Encourage us to commit to and keep that
commitment to read the whole of Your Word this year; we can only do it with
Your help. Come Holy Spirit; enlighten
the eyes of our understanding, as we read the Word You inspired. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
Happy New Year!
May God bless you richly throughout
2016.
May 2016 be the year to give more of
your life to the Lord.
Kim, I've already embarked on that very endeavor; I began in Advent (as our Pastor deemed it the Christian New Year) with a list of readings that will take me through the entire Bible by next Advent. So far, I'm loving the journey as it isn't one book at a time, but different scriptures thoughtfully mapped out by our Pastor. I do hope others will take you up on this marvelous challenge!
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, I'm so glad you've already embarked on this endeavor! You just took me up on my challenge a bit early. It's nice to read from various sections of the Bible at times, rather than just straight through. In any event, it's still reading the whole Bible and not just certain books. Keep me posted on what you learn!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hi Kim! Happy New Year to you too! May God bless you and yours with His love and peace.
ReplyDeleteI can't promise to read the bible from cover to cover, but I will promise to set aside time to pray each day. I find that it really helps to ground me, and give me more peace for my day. So worth the effort! I do want to cheer you on with your reading though. I know it shapes who you are.
Blessings to you in this shiny new year!
Ceil
Thank you, Ceil! Prayer is so very good too--and often neglected. Any reading in the Word you can do will be a blessing. Thank you for your encouragement in my reading; please encourage other too!
DeleteBlessings to you, as well, in this shiny new year!
Kim