5 Reasons you need to enroll in a Bible reading plan this year TODAY!
Reason #1 - It will make the Bible truly yours
The truth is that we have so many Bibles lying around our house and churches and almost everywhere we go, but do we really own it? Are we in a position where we can really feel like this is our Father's letter to us? Or do we treat it like it's someone's book or up to this or that teacher to reveal it's secrets?
One of the most pivotal moments in Christianity this past millennium was making the Bible simply available to the public. It revolutionized Christianity after a long dark age and even the nations where it became available! That's because God's word simply brings Light, Light to the individual and nation alike.
Reading the Bible in a yearly plan will help you own the Bible. Some of those books (think Leviticus) you never touch in the Bible are actually filled with precious truths, like precious stones laid deep and buried in the mountains, long forgotten. It defies logic to continue to ignore your beloved Father's great inheritance He left you. So why not dig deeper?
Reason #2 - It will make you prosper
I'm not sure I can explain this. Does reading the Bible make one wise? It does. Does it give perspective? Yes. Does it calm anxious nerves and still turbulent hearts? Yes. But how exactly it works is something a little otherworldy.
Jesus said God's word make us live, they give us life. When you decide to read the Bible with the help of others around you - everyday - it's like deciding to go to the gym and workout daily. How would your body look after a year? Well, imagine what happens to your spirit when you choose this spiritual workout? And when the spirit prospers so does your entire life!
Reason #3 - It will make you pure
As much as I know we are already totally forgiven and totally sanctified in Christ my actions have yet to do so and this will be the case till we pass to the other side. But our actions can and do get better as we mature spiritually and feed on God's word and build our relationship with Him. Indeed, Paul has written often that the Spirit in us helps us to defeat the traitor within.
If you open the Book to the very middle you might land on Psalm 119, the Bible's longest chapter that is all about God's word interestingly! And there it says so plainly "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word." Wow. That's it right there.
If you are in need of becoming a better person, and I am not talking about your life that is public, but even in your most personal and private parts of it, this spiritual diet - which is actually a feast of God's word - is what catapults you to a totally different level.
Reason #4 - It will teach you how to listen to God
Thousands read the Bible like dead people. They read it to know more about theology and doctrines and history. They read it to know what they should or should not do. They all read it wrong because the words of the Bible are Spirit inspired and can only be of value to the reader if the Father's Spirit in the reader helps the reader to listen.
So when you start reading the Bible with intent you start to train your soul to listen. You might be very familiar with certain passages and verses in the Bible. But when was the last time you read 1` Chronicles 23? (I don't even know if there is a 1 Chronicles 23... just checked, the answer is yes there is). But it goes to show the point.
This beautiful Book, God's letter expounded His love to us and the inheritance He has left us (that's why it's called 'testament') is wholly important. Not just parts that are easy to understand or often heard. The challenge to read the Bible in it's entirety is a journey of discovery, to discover all that God has done for you and wants for you.
Having read and meditated on all the Bible, you now learn to discern the voice of your Father even more. You recognize His aroma where it may be. It's a training of your spiritual ears!
Reason #5 - It puts you in a position to receive more glory, more faith and more life
Reading the Bible in such a yearly plan can be revolutionary. I'm hoping that this year's Better Part Challenge will be a milestone for myself and many more joining me on this journey. I say this because I know from experience... the first time I set out to read the Bible in a year, my spiritual life went to a whole different level.
I discovered for the first time that I was really in need of His salvation. I discovered how infinite and real is His love for me. I discovered that I was really confused about the Bible, the Law and His grace - I didn't understand really the cross and what it meant. I discovered that Jesus had left me an inheritance and I had no idea what it was but I decided to search. That search, among other things, led me to discover that God's wonders and signs and miracles are the heritage of the saints, of all God's children, just as it was 2000 years ago.
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