Have you ever made a resolution to do something, then after a while you gave up on it? Or maybe you didn’t even started… We’ve all been there.
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One of the most common resolutions among Christians is to read the entire Bible through. Not all people I know were able to finish it.
Years ago, when I (truly) got converted, I decided to read the entire Bible. I figured that if I say that I believe the Bible is the one and only true revelation of God, His Word, and my reference for living my life, I should know what it says, right?
So I decided to use my commute time to do it. I bought a small print Bible and off I went to read it. About one year later, I finished.
What I remember most about that first full reading was finding details that I didn’t remember having heard about before. It was a wonderful journey of discovery for me.
Although it was such an amazing experience, I didn’t repeat it for many years. During this period I only read full books or pieces out of sequence, studying a theme or a specific book.
Then, a while ago, I purchased the Chronological Bible in Portuguese, and I started reading it. I am about to finish it (I’ve just started Revelation), and I learned so much more!
The chronological sequence gave me a new perspective on my reading. It is such a valuable experience to read all the prophet’s books inserted into Kings and Chronicles. Or David’s Psalms spread through I and II Samuel (you know what was happening in his life when he wrote each Psalm). Or read the epistles inserted into Acts. You get such a better view of all events that happened in parallel but are registered across different books.
As soon as I finish it, I intend to start a full reading of the English NIV translation. That will be my first full reading in a non-Portuguese translation (Portuguese is my native language).
If you’ve never had the opportunity to read the entire Bible through, I urge you to do it.
The online Bible YouVersion.com provides several reading plans.
You don’t need to open your web browser to read the Bible and follow those reading plans: you can install their app in your smartphone and use it offline (or online, depending on the translation you choose).
What I like most about YouVersion is that you can easily switch between different translations. And you can also add bookmarks and notes and it syncs to your account, so you will see them in any device or browser that you log in to.
And what’s even better, everything is free of charge.
The most important decision that you can ever make is to give your life to Jesus and accept Him as your Savior. The second most important is to get to know Him and have a relationship with Him. And reading the Bible is absolutely necessary to accomplish this.
I know it is a huge book, I know, but with the help of a reading plan you can do it.
Make that resolution now. Set a time to do your daily reading, choose a reading plan that you find interesting, if possible find a reading partner (someone you can discuss the topics you read, and you can encourage each other), and go ahead.
This is a resolution you won’t regret.
Questions:
Have you read the entire Bible through? What did you remember from that experience?
If you haven’t, are you willing to try? Do you think that the web site reading plans might help you?
If you tried but did not finish, what were your difficulties?
This post is part of the “One Word at a Time Blog Carnival” hosted by Peter Pollock. Check out his blog for links to other posts that were written based on the word “resolution”.
I read chronologically too, and it helps me make more sense of it all as well.
Such a beautiful post to encourage others to read their bibles!
That’s what I aimed for, let’s pray that people do feel encourage to do it. Thank you very much, Lisa!
Don’t you love that no matter how many times you read the Bible, God still reveals new things that you didn’t see before?
I’ve got nearly 40 Bible translations in my bookshelves and computer program files. Next on my list to buy is that chronological Bible. I think it would be great to read God’s Word that way! I hope to do so soon.
Thanks for the encouragement here. : )
Anne, you’re right, it’s amazing how every time I read the Bible, there’s something new there. Sometimes I read a few verses, and God talks to me so deeply through them, that I wonder how I’ve never noticed those verses before.
I love the fact that, thanks to the Internet and technology, we can easily read most versions we can think of of the Bible anytime we want. I can read at least three different Portuguese translations in my smartphone, and several more English translations. In the Internet there’s even more available. Sometimes I think back when people had no access to the Bible, and when they had to manually copy everything so people weren’t able to keep a copy at home, I realize how blessed our generation is.
About the chronological Bible, I’m sure you will enjoy it!
I’m quite certain we don’t realize how blessed we are to possess God’s precious Word. One of the most enduring testimonies I heard (maybe 20 years ago) is of a town where Christians were being persecuted. All the Bibles were searched out, piled in the middle of town, and set afire. When the authorities were looking the other way, one woman reached into the flames and rescued a single page. That lone page of the Bible, from Corinthians, sustained their congregation for a year until they obtained another Bible. I sometimes want to cry to think of how blessed I am to have the Word of God in such abundance—to have His Holy Spirit so I might understand it.
Wow, one single page, that’s amazing.
I also remember a scene from the movie “Luther” (the one with Joseph Fiennes), when Luther hands over to the german prince the book containing the german translation of the Bible he had just finished. The actor that plays the prince did a great job, because you can see the emotion when he took it in his hands, and he expressed how much he dreamt of reading the Word of God in His own language.
Just to think of so many believers that risked their lives, and they still do today, to bring the Word of God to people, I feel so humbled and blessed indeed.
I’ve never read through the bible chronologically, but now I think I’d really like to. I have that app on my phone and on my iPad. I will look for the chronological reading plan. Thanks for the encouraging push I needed.
I’m glad you got interested in trying it, Kat. I’m sure you will enjoy it. It is quite different from the regular reading, you keep skipping back and forth, but it is so worth it.
I love reading the Bible and when I’ve finished reading one translation I start another one. Right now I am reading it chronologically because I got tired to repeat the same moments in history over and over again. I agree that only by reading the whole Bible we can get a good picture of God’s salvation plan. The more you read the Bible, the more fascinating it becomes. Blessings to you, sis. Keep up digging deep & sharing your findings with us!
Mari-Anna, I intend to do the same, when I finish this reading I’ll start another, and I intend to keep doing that from now on. There are so many different translations and reading plans, there’s enough to keep us busy for a lifetime. And as Anne mentioned, although we’ve read it before, every time we read it again there’s new things we learn, God reveals a little more of Himself. It’s fascinating indeed!
I recently purchased a CD of the Message Bible. I like your plan to read the Bible with different translations and languages. That must give you insights that confirm lessons missed before. At present I read my Bible on E-Sword. com a free Bible for on line. My New Years resolution this year was to read it through. Amazing some of the Old Testament stories and the Prophets with their warnings to repent and of God’s mercy when they people did turn from their idol worship and sins.
Hazel, I like the Message Bible too, but I haven’t read much of it yet, just a few bits and pieces. It is much easier for a non-native speaker to read it. I also intend to read as soon as I finish NIV.
And thanks for mentioning the E-Sword.com site, I’ll check it out!
This comment from Hazel just caught my eye. I LOVE E-Sword! It’s the free Bible download I’ve used for years. VERY user friendly. My very favorite tool is the KJV+ version, with Strong’s numbers. Though the KJV is not my preferred translation, being able to instantly see definitions of the original Hebrew and Greek words has richly enhanced my Bible time. It’s very easy to use the parallel Bible reading format, so I can read the Bible in any translation I want at the same time I can see the Strong’s numbers. If you do download this program, Chris, and you have any questions, feel free to email me. I enthusiastically recommend E-Sword as a must!
I had never seen Strong’s numbers until a friend of mine from US showed a software program that had them. I was amazed! It is such a great tool to study the Bible indeed.
Thanks for offering your support on using E-Sword. I’ve already download it and I will install it as soon as I can.
I’ve never read it chronologically before! I’m going to consider this. Thanks for the great post!
Jenna, I’m glad you got interested. Thanks for commenting!
I’ve read the Bible through three times: twice just straight through, starting in Genesis and ending with Revelation, and once with a reading plan. And there are individual books that I’ve countless times — Genesis, 1 & 2 Samuel, John, Acts, and several of the epistles. What always amazes me is that no matter how many times I read a book, a chapter, a passage, a verse, I will always be surprised with something I didn’t see or notice before — as if it was lying in wait for just the right moment.
Glynn, you’re right, no matter how many times we read, God always has something new to teach us. There is no question that it is the living Word of God!
Thanks Cris. It is such a blessing to study through the bible as a goal / resolution. I remember once as i had gotten about halfway through a fellow noticed all the unlined verses and laughed saying – you’ve underlined everything – why bother? And i sheepishly told him I only underline something when i understand at least one thing about that passage – not everything – just one thing. He rolled his eyes but doing that changed my life.The bible studied in context is life changing – thanks for reminding us how good it is to have resolve in that effort. Blessings..
Thank you Kevin for sharing. I’m glad that that fellow didn’t disencourage you to continue reading.
And I totally agree with you: studying the Bible in context is life changing indeed. As other brothers and sisters mentioned in their comments, every time you read it again you learn more and more. It is indeed the living Word of God.
I’m doing this again for the first time in years. I used to do it often, but it turned legalistic. I was more concerned with checking the box than actually growing and gaining insight. God told me to stop. Now years later, I have picked it up with a fresh perspective. I am loving it!
Thanks!
Chris, you did the right thing byt stopping for a while. It is so easy to get caught up in the routine, isn’t it? I’m glad you got to do it again!
I am currently reading the NIV, and it is so interesting that sometimes the different translation (when compared to the Portuguese ones I’m used to) brings a new fresh look on the same verses I am used to.
It is being a great experience for me!
God bless you, Chris, and thanks for visiting and sharing!