Get Reading!

In the early part of 2000, I committed myself to reading through the entire Bible in one year, every year, for the rest of my life. I had read through it twice prior to that, but I wanted to be more consistent. So, if you are keeping track, this will be the twelfth consecutive year that I've read through the Bible. It takes approximately ten minutes every day to do so. I can't usually tell you what I read yesterday, or sometimes what I read earlier today. Likewise, I'll bet you can't tell me what you ate yesterday, or maybe even what you ate earlier today. But, all of us would agree that whether we remember what we ate yesterday, last week, or last year, our bodies must have received nourishment from our consumption of food or we wouldn't still be here.
Similarly, even though we can't remember word for word what we read from the Bible last week, last month, or last year; the fact is, our soul was nourished by what our mind took in and our character grows as a result of doing so. My attitude and my view of people, my relationship with God and my relationships with others, have all grown IMMENSELY during the past twelve years. We are what we think. And what we think is determined by the information we feed our mind. We can either take in the garbage and lies we are so often fed through the secular world's music, television, news, etc., OR we can take in the eternal truths we receive from God's Word. But, our worldview WILL be shaped by what we continually program into our mind (Philippians 4:8&9; Colossians 3:1-3). Our primary source of spiritual sustenance should not be from a Bible class or even a small group that we attend with others our age. It should come from our quiet time we each spend with God in His Word.
Lamar Vest is president and CEO of the American Bible Society. He says, "We buy the Bible in increasing volume, we revere the Bible, we give the Bible as gifts, but we Americans do everything with the Bible except read it. And we find that only about 20% of Americans are actually engaged with scripture on a regular basis." Gleaning spiritual truth from another, including a preacher, is not intended to be the only time we receive spiritual nourishment. It should, instead, challenge us to read and study the Bible for ourselves.
If you are not already doing so, might I challenge you to begin reading through the Bible for the rest of your life, beginning in 2012? For those who are older, it is never too late to begin. But, the younger a person begins that habit, the more they will understand God's plan for their lives and truly live His eternal principles on a daily basis.
We have hardbound copies of the Chronological Bible in the New Living Translation at the church for $20. Buy one for yourself. Buy one for someone else as a Christmas gift. Reading God's Word for yourself is one of the best gifts you can give another person. "For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innner thoughts and desires." (Hebrews 4:12)