Reading the Bible is Like Watching a Sunrise

[Mark Corbett]

I shared this testimony and these thoughts in a post on my blog on Dec 27, 2016. At the bottom I give an update relevant for 2018.


Shortly before Christmas, I finished reading through the whole Bible. I started on January 4th of this year. What a blessing reading through the Bible has been! Every time I pick up God’s Word and read, He blesses, encourages, and guides me. Sometimes people say “every time”, but they mean “most of the time”. But I really mean “every time”.

Reading the Bible is like . . .

Watching a beautiful sunrise

Just because you have seen many beautiful sunrises does not mean that seeing a sunrise tomorrow morning will fail to fill you with a sense of God’s glory and majesty. Each sunrise is a little different, even though it is the same sun. In the same way, even though I have read the Bible many times in my life, God always shows me new beauty in His Word.

Also, as you watch the sunrise you see the world around you more and more clearly. In the same way, the more I read the Bible, the more I see and understand how God is working in my life and in the world around me.

Eating

“I ate yesterday, so I really don’t feel a need to eat today.” I never say anything like that! In the same way that we need physical energy and nutrition every day, we also need spiritual energy and nutrition every day. Do we want to be spiritually stronger and healthier? We should read our Bible regularly.

Filling your cup with good stuff

A friend of mine once explained that we are all like cups full of something. As we go through the day, whatever we are full of will spill out on others whenever we are “bumped”. If you are full of the Holy Spirit, then God’s love, truth, and power will spill out and bless others around you. If not, well, it isn’t pretty. Prayerfully reading God’s Word each day fills us with good blessings which then bless others around us.

Exercising

When you first start exercising it is hard and you can’t do a lot. But the more you exercise the stronger you get and then you can exercise even more. In the same way, when a person first starts to read the Bible they often do not understand much of it. But the longer you read it, the more you will understand it. But reading the Bible is different from physical exercise in this way: as we get older our ability to do physical exercise often diminishes. But even as we grower weaker physically, God allows us to continue to grow stronger and deeper in knowing Him.

Broad and Deep

Now after saying all that, I admit that I’m not planning to read through the entire Bible again in 2017. Is that hypocritical? I hope not! I believe it is good to alternate between Bible intake that “broad” and Bible intake that is “deep”. Reading through the whole Bible in a year is a good example of “broad” Bible intake. Memorizing passages of the Bible, repeatedly and thoughtfully reading the same passage or book of the Bible many times, meditating on the Bible, and in-depth Bible study are methods of “deep” Bible intake. Broad and deep are both good when it comes to feeding on God’s Word!

Practical Help for Reading through the Bible in a Year

If you’ve never read through the entire Bible, or if it’s been a while, I recommend reading through the Bible in 2017. There’s nothing wrong with just starting in Genesis and reading straight through until you’re done (in which case you will need to average 3.26 chapters a day). I’ve done that before. But I find it easier to use a Bible reading plan. You can find and print out a copy of the Bible reading plan I used this past year here:

http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/files/2013/12/DeRouchie-KINGDOM-BRP.pdf

If you want more Bible reading options, including options to read through the Bible at a slower pace over two years or options you can start any time of year, see the great collection of plans and information at Justin Taylor's blog here:

http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2015/12/28/reading-the-whole-bible-in-2016-an-faq/

Here are a few tips to help with any Bible reading plan:

1. The sooner you get started the better! Why not start today or tomorrow?
2. Set apart a regular time, like early in the morning. It doesn’t take that much time. At an average reading pace, just reading would take an average of about 10 minutes/day.
3. Always pray before you read. Be willing to stop and pray often while reading. This may expand your reading time to 15 or 20 minutes. It will be worth it as the Holy Spirit applies God’s Word to your heart, life, friends, family, church, and work.
4. If you miss a day, or even several weeks or more, don’t let that defeat you. God is full of grace. Just start back where you left off. As soon as you do, you’ll notice the blessing! And if it takes you more than a year, that is not a sin. It’s not a race or a competition. But it is a battle. The world, your own flesh, and the Devil will try to stop you. With God’s help you can overcome!
5. If you get stuck in the tough parts (such as some of the rules in Leviticus, some of the genealogies and records of families, or some sections in the prophets which are hard to understand), don’t give up. If you need to skim through these sections or even skip some of them, that’s ok. There is some good stuff even in the “tough sections”, but it’s better to skip them than to get bogged down and give up. Still, if you can make it through them, I think you will be glad you did. One advantage of the reading plan I used is that it combines sections from different parts of the Bible each day, always including something from the New Testament.

Most of all: Just Do It!

May God bless you through His beautiful, powerful Word in 2017.

Update for 2018: As I mentioned above, I did not read through the whole Bible in 2017 (but I did read and study it a lot). Now, I'm eager to read through it again in 2018. But this time, I want to read through it together with others. We have a facebook group for friends who will be reading through the Bible together this year. Here is the link:

Open My Eyes 2018

We plan to use this Bible reading plan, which allows reading online or even listening online, or you can still read the "old fashioned" way.

You're welcome to join our reading group. Or you can start your own group for some of your friends. Even a small group of 3 or 4 people could be a big blessing. Feel free to copy any ideas you see in the group I'm starting.

 

[Grace2022]

I shared this testimony and these thoughts in a post on my blog on Dec 27, 2016. At the bottom I give an update relevant for 2018.


Shortly before Christmas, I finished reading through the whole Bible. I started on January 4th of this year. What a blessing reading through the Bible has been! Every time I pick up God’s Word and read, He blesses, encourages, and guides me. Sometimes people say “every time”, but they mean “most of the time”. But I really mean “every time”.

Reading the Bible is like . . .

Watching a beautiful sunrise

Just because you have seen many beautiful sunrises does not mean that seeing a sunrise tomorrow morning will fail to fill you with a sense of God’s glory and majesty. Each sunrise is a little different, even though it is the same sun. In the same way, even though I have read the Bible many times in my life, God always shows me new beauty in His Word.

Also, as you watch the sunrise you see the world around you more and more clearly. In the same way, the more I read the Bible, the more I see and understand how God is working in my life and in the world around me.

Eating

“I ate yesterday, so I really don’t feel a need to eat today.” I never say anything like that! In the same way that we need physical energy and nutrition every day, we also need spiritual energy and nutrition every day. Do we want to be spiritually stronger and healthier? We should read our Bible regularly.

Filling your cup with good stuff

A friend of mine once explained that we are all like cups full of something. As we go through the day, whatever we are full of will spill out on others whenever we are “bumped”. If you are full of the Holy Spirit, then God’s love, truth, and power will spill out and bless others around you. If not, well, it isn’t pretty. Prayerfully reading God’s Word each day fills us with good blessings which then bless others around us.

Exercising

When you first start exercising it is hard and you can’t do a lot. But the more you exercise the stronger you get and then you can exercise even more. In the same way, when a person first starts to read the Bible they often do not understand much of it. But the longer you read it, the more you will understand it. But reading the Bible is different from physical exercise in this way: as we get older our ability to do physical exercise often diminishes. But even as we grower weaker physically, God allows us to continue to grow stronger and deeper in knowing Him.

Broad and Deep

Now after saying all that, I admit that I’m not planning to read through the entire Bible again in 2017. Is that hypocritical? I hope not! I believe it is good to alternate between Bible intake that “broad” and Bible intake that is “deep”. Reading through the whole Bible in a year is a good example of “broad” Bible intake. Memorizing passages of the Bible, repeatedly and thoughtfully reading the same passage or book of the Bible many times, meditating on the Bible, and in-depth Bible study are methods of “deep” Bible intake. Broad and deep are both good when it comes to feeding on God’s Word!

Practical Help for Reading through the Bible in a Year

If you’ve never read through the entire Bible, or if it’s been a while, I recommend reading through the Bible in 2017. There’s nothing wrong with just starting in Genesis and reading straight through until you’re done (in which case you will need to average 3.26 chapters a day). I’ve done that before. But I find it easier to use a Bible reading plan. You can find and print out a copy of the Bible reading plan I used this past year here:

http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/files/2013/12/DeRouchie-KINGDOM-BRP.pdf

If you want more Bible reading options, including options to read through the Bible at a slower pace over two years or options you can start any time of year, see the great collection of plans and information at Justin Taylor's blog here:

http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2015/12/28/reading-the-whole-bible-in-2016-an-faq/

Here are a few tips to help with any Bible reading plan:

1. The sooner you get started the better! Why not start today or tomorrow?
2. Set apart a regular time, like early in the morning. It doesn’t take that much time. At an average reading pace, just reading would take an average of about 10 minutes/day.
3. Always pray before you read. Be willing to stop and pray often while reading. This may expand your reading time to 15 or 20 minutes. It will be worth it as the Holy Spirit applies God’s Word to your heart, life, friends, family, church, and work.
4. If you miss a day, or even several weeks or more, don’t let that defeat you. God is full of grace. Just start back where you left off. As soon as you do, you’ll notice the blessing! And if it takes you more than a year, that is not a sin. It’s not a race or a competition. But it is a battle. The world, your own flesh, and the Devil will try to stop you. With God’s help you can overcome!
5. If you get stuck in the tough parts (such as some of the rules in Leviticus, some of the genealogies and records of families, or some sections in the prophets which are hard to understand), don’t give up. If you need to skim through these sections or even skip some of them, that’s ok. There is some good stuff even in the “tough sections”, but it’s better to skip them than to get bogged down and give up. Still, if you can make it through them, I think you will be glad you did. One advantage of the reading plan I used is that it combines sections from different parts of the Bible each day, always including something from the New Testament.

Most of all: Just Do It!

May God bless you through His beautiful, powerful Word in 2017.

Update for 2018: As I mentioned above, I did not read through the whole Bible in 2017 (but I did read and study it a lot). Now, I'm eager to read through it again in 2018. But this time, I want to read through it together with others. We have a facebook group for friends who will be reading through the Bible together this year. Here is the link:

Open My Eyes 2018

We plan to use this Bible reading plan, which allows reading online or even listening online, or you can still read the "old fashioned" way.

You're welcome to join our reading group. Or you can start your own group for some of your friends. Even a small group of 3 or 4 people could be a big blessing. Feel free to copy any ideas you see in the group I'm starting.

Beautiful. I too need to feed my soul daily with the Word of God.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

I would recommend to anyone intimidated by the idea of reading the whole Bible, not sure where to start, or just looking for quick but strong guidance to read the Book of James. It's just 5 chapters, but loaded with amazing wisdom and life guidelines. If you're reading the Bible for something entertaining, a cool story with wisdom tucked within, the Book of Tobit is excellent for that. It's the most enjoyable book of the Bible that I've ever read, and I'm working on rewriting it in a format for people who'll get lost in the way the Bible tells it's stories. (Note: Tobit is only found in Catholic bibles, or the Apocrypha of protestant bibles).
Lately, I've been reading Paul's letters, Proverbs, and Sirach, for sake of specific instructions on how to run my life, in full devotion to God.
Jeff Cavins has a DVD series called "The Bible Timeline" that charts the storyline through all the narrative books of the Bible, while tying in the rest & showing what all this means for our lives, and it's a fantastic way to look at the Bible. It's a little expensive, about $400, but if God has gifted you or your parish with the gift of wealth, it's well worth the cost.
And if you don't want to/can't read much of the Bible right now, I direct you to 3 powerful verses:

Matthew 7:2--"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
1 Peter 4:8--"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
And, the one that I try to affix to all of my posts:
James 4:8--"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

 

[Grace2022]

I would recommend to anyone intimidated by the idea of reading the whole Bible, not sure where to start, or just looking for quick but strong guidance to read the Book of James. It's just 5 chapters, but loaded with amazing wisdom and life guidelines. If you're reading the Bible for something entertaining, a cool story with wisdom tucked within, the Book of Tobit is excellent for that. It's the most enjoyable book of the Bible that I've ever read, and I'm working on rewriting it in a format for people who'll get lost in the way the Bible tells it's stories. (Note: Tobit is only found in Catholic bibles, or the Apocrypha of protestant bibles).
Lately, I've been reading Paul's letters, Proverbs, and Sirach, for sake of specific instructions on how to run my life, in full devotion to God.
Jeff Cavins has a DVD series called "The Bible Timeline" that charts the storyline through all the narrative books of the Bible, while tying in the rest & showing what all this means for our lives, and it's a fantastic way to look at the Bible. It's a little expensive, about $400, but if God has gifted you or your parish with the gift of wealth, it's well worth the cost.
And if you don't want to/can't read much of the Bible right now, I direct you to 3 powerful verses:

Matthew 7:2--"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
1 Peter 4:8--"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
And, the one that I try to affix to all of my posts:
James 4:8--"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

Thanks, how brilliant! I have noted what you say and will study.
Just about to study Isaiah at our housegroup. Apparently it is a complex book.i like a challenge.
A lifetime is not enough to eat and drink the Word. I wish i had far more time to just read the Bible. It is our lifeline and everything.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

Isaiah is a challenging one, you won't be let down.
Also, there's another verse that I wrote on my binder at the beginning of last semester, and it's helped me immensly deepen my spiritual life, via calculus class:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (James 1:2-3)
How's that for the opening of a Bible book? I love how blunt James is. In much of his book, he sounds very angry at us for screwing up so badly; the shock of, essentially, God yelling at you for doing things that you thought were okay is a great wake-up call for any Christian seeking to improve their place before God.

 

[Grace2022]

Hey
Loving your enthusiasm!
I habe begun reading James on my kindle as a direct result of what you write.
Thankyou.
Peace be with you this day.

 

[Jerri]

Everytime I say this I feel like I am bragging but I have managed to read through the Bible every year since 2012. I have used different plans so that I don't get bored. I first started with a plan on the back pages of the NIV Bible then I moved on to downloading from the internet. This year and the last one I am using the Youversion Bible app has quite a no of partial and full Bible plans.

This is how I have done it
1. The grace of Jesus Christ
2. I have formed a habit that every single morning come rain come sunshine I must do my plan. If I am to leave the house at 5am for example I'll be woken up at 3am so that I can put in at least one hour in study and prayer. I once prayed and asked God to take over my calendar so He'll wake me everyday in time for study, breakfast, traffic etc
3. For a long while I was really down on my luck so God gave me His word to read and pray it back to Him and that way He has continually taken care of my needs for the last 8yrs
4. I simply love God and I am like that adventurous small child who is on a treasure hunt and year after year I feel I want to learn more, memorise more and just fellowship with God.

Blessings

 

[Grace2022]

Everytime I say this I feel like I am bragging but I have managed to read through the Bible every year since 2012. I have used different plans so that I don't get bored. I first started with a plan on the back pages of the NIV Bible then I moved on to downloading from the internet. This year and the last one I am using the Youversion Bible app has quite a no of partial and full Bible plans.

This is how I have done it
1. The grace of Jesus Christ
2. I have formed a habit that every single morning come rain come sunshine I must do my plan. If I am to leave the house at 5am for example I'll be woken up at 3am so that I can put in at least one hour in study and prayer. I once prayed and asked God to take over my calendar so He'll wake me everyday in time for study, breakfast, traffic etc
3. For a long while I was really down on my luck so God gave me His word to read and pray it back to Him and that way He has continually taken care of my needs for the last 8yrs
4. I simply love God and I am like that adventurous small child who is on a treasure hunt and year after year I feel I want to learn more, memorise more and just fellowship with God.

Blessings

Hi
Welcome and wow! I think you are incredible. A truly good example to us all. Xx

 

[Jerri]

Hi
Welcome and wow! I think you are incredible. A truly good example to us all. Xx

 

[Antig]

Interested in reading the Bible myself. I have read large sections but never cover to cover