Bible reading schedules have not been a great help to me. While I can appreciate the discipline they develop, for me they often became a distraction, a duty, a drudgery. Personally I have found it better through the years to take a smaller portion of Scripture each day and meditate on it.
Each person has to find what works best for them. There is no clear cut pattern in Scripture for how many chapters to read each day! At different times in life you may vary your reading pattern as well.
At the beginning of this year I decided that I was going to do something I had not done before and try to go through the Bible in 90 days. My friend Byron Foxx would call this a “mega-dose” of Scripture. This was more than a challenge for me. I truly believe God led me to do this for my mind’s sake at this time. There is something refreshing about the water of the Word flowing through your mind in this way.
I am reading and listening to different portions of Scripture and have found it especially helpful in one particular way. Dr. Frank Sells used to talk about his “general impressions” from a book of the Bible. As you read over larger portions of Scripture overarching themes begin to reveal themselves. All of the parts make the whole.
For example, I have just recently finished the first five books of the Old Testament. Certain principles from the Pentateuch have been etched upon my mind again: God is holy. God hates sin. God loves sinners. God wants His people to be holy. These same truths occur repeatedly in all of the narratives, instruction, and prophecies of Moses’ writings.
As I have journeyed more quickly through whole books I have begun to see repeated emphases woven throughout. To be sure there is value in moving slowly through God’s Word, taking the microscopic look at each verse and at your own heart. But there is also value in taking the telescopic look at God’s Word. It reveals the greatness of our God!
Do not get bound to one pattern but stay bound to the Word of God. Perhaps you would like to set aside a period of this year to read larger portions of Scripture. Maybe God has you moving slowly through a book. The adventure is found in hearing the voice of the Author. There is nothing like it!
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AMEN!! I want to hear the voice of the Author above everything else. Thanks, brother.
Me too. God bless.
Wonderful!
Last year I did something (…INTENTIONALLY did something…) that I had never done during my nearly half a century of being a Christian: I purposed to read through the Scriptures in the first six months of the year. Having accomplished that (…PTL!…), I then purposed to listen to the Scriptures is the last six months of the year. [I found that listening gave a different, interesting perspective to the Word!] To His glory and for my good, I accomplished both of those tasks which I had INTENTIONALLY purposed to do!
In conjunction with James 1:22, I believe that a Christian can never get too much of the Word of God!
That’s wonderful. The saturation of Scripture is life changing! God bless you my friend.
“All of the parts make a whole”, this just jumped out at me and said, “only GOD, only GOD could give inspiration to write the Bible. When we work a puzzle,1000 pieces or so, how many times do we pick up a piece of the puzzle just knowing it is going to fit. Sure looks like it will fit—- UNTIL you try to place it in the picture. GOD’s word is true. It is a complete picture of HIS message to us. Do not pull out a piece of HIS puzzle and try to make it fit, because we want HIS word to align with our thoughts, our ways or what we want HIM to say. Trust and walk by faith, knowing that GOD’s word and HIS plan is always the best. Please remember me in your prayers. God has surely used you to bless and inspire me to be what GOD wants me to be. Scott, you are like the Everyready bunny. Your energy & faithfulness has to be from the Lord. Praying for you. —- 2019 “Win One”
Thank you so much. I love the illustration of the puzzle and will have to use that sometime soon! Praying for you.
Really appreciate your daily devotions!
Thanks for studying with us. God bless you and Brother Ted!