Get Ready to Read!

'Tis the season for selecting and beginning your Bible reading plan for 2015. I know that many of you have started well in Genesis, glorying in the Creation, tracking along with the faith-filled Abraham, and celebrating as God delivered his people through Joseph, the young man of influence and favor.

Exodus picked up where Genesis left off with exciting narrative and amazing accounts of God's power. The wilderness wanderings may have caused you to feel the reality of sin in your own life and prompted you to follow after God with your whole heart.

Then you got to the plan for the tabernacle and you weren't sure why you needed to know all the details about the types of fabrics used for the curtains, the amount of ringlets in said curtains, and just how the altar is to be constructed. You press on, though, because you are going read through the this year.

Then, somewhere between Leviticus and Numbers, you find yourself in your own wilderness wandering as your zeal for Bible reading and your understanding of the texts you do read both begin to dwindle.

If this timeline matches up with your experiences in years past, then here is my advice to you. Don't give up! It's that simple. Resolve to get at it again. Choose to pick up your Bible and get back in it. As you get geared up for another go around, let me also encourage you to pick a reading plan that works for you.

I have been reading the Bible for a long time and have figured out what works for me (reading a lot of chapters from a lot of different sections of Scripture each day), but I am fully aware that my way doesn't work for my wife, many of my fellow church family members, and maybe even you. You might need something that walks you through the gospels everyday and then adds some Old Testament readings. Maybe you would do well with an approach that gives you one New Testament and one Old Testament reading each day. There are plans with catch-up days or ones with readings on weekdays only. Be real about what works with you and what you can realistically keep up with.

To help you out, I have included a link below to the blog of Tim Challies. Challies gives several great reading plans for you to choose from. The link he provides to the Ligonier website has many traditional reading plans. He then includes some others that are a little different than those that are often used by most folks. I have been using the reading plan developed by Grant Horner for several years now. You can check that one out on Challies' site.

One last encouragement. Find someone else who is taking up the challenge this year as well. Make it a point to encourage each other in your efforts and to get together once in a while to discuss what you are learning.

Happy Reading!

Tim Challies' site is here.