As we near the end of 2023, one of the things that really blows my mind is that there is a substantial group of people at our church who have read the entire Bible this year; and some for the first time ever! Some of us started off well, and fell off. Others were in and out at various times of the year. Some started late, and have been consistent since. Whatever the individual results, one thing that I can say for certain; in 2023 as a congregation we read more Bible than we ever have before. I celebrate this and praise God for it.
I am convinced that we must continue in this same spirit, so in 2024, we will start a new Bible reading journey, taking us through the whole Bible in a year. We have been announcing this in service, but I want to take a little time here to encourage all of us to participate. A couple reasons:
First, our Bible reading muscles have gotten stronger, therefore we should keep going. In this I am taking inspiration from my training as a distance runner. A real runner does not get to a particular running milestone and then quits because there is nothing left to do. Rather, achieving a running milestone only serves to increase your capacity to run still more! This is because you've gotten stronger, and from here on out, running will be that much easier. If you have read more Bible this year than ever before, awesome! That means this next lap will be that much easier, because you have become a stronger reader of the Bible.
Second, having everyone reading according to the same plan gives us more reason to read the Bible together. One of the best parts of this past year's reading plan, for me, has been the daily practice of reading the Bible together with Diana. We made it our daily routine, listen to the audio Bible of the day's passages over breakfast. Our readings sometimes led to important discussions about our life as Christians. Not all the time, but sometimes. But it would always serve to remind us that we are Christians, setting the tone for the day. But more than that, the sense of group achievement, running this race together, served to keep me motivated to read all year long!
I do encourage all of us to participate in the Bible reading next year! It is our spiritual food, and a lamp that guides our way!