Reading the Bible Together: An Addendum

You can do it!

I have begun to get some responses to my post from earlier today about an invitation to read the Bible together. One blog subscriber said that it felt like a daunting project. That comment reminded me that there is something else about this invitation and encouragement that is very important for you to consider. I apologize that I forgot to include this thought in the initial post.

Being ever the accountant (and a numbers guy at heart) let me share that there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible. My thought is that we try to read the entire Bible in six months (180 days). That amounts to about seven chapters a day, allowing for a few misses along the way. Yes, reading the entire Bible seems daunting, but doesn’t seven chapters a day seem doable; maybe a half hour of reading?

Let me emphasize for the over-achievers, the A+ students, and the Type A personality types, THIS IS NOT A RACE AND THIS IS NOT LEGALISTIC! Be graceful with yourself. It is okay to miss a day. It is okay to read five chapters on a day that you have a full schedule. It is okay to read only Psalm 119 on one day because Psalm 117 will compensate for it. God thinks of everything! (Check them out if you don’t understand what I am saying.)

The important thing is to make the commitment and try to be disciplined (selecting a specific time of day that works best for you is advisable, and try to keep that time sacred). If it takes you seven or eight months, or even a year that is okay. The most important thing is to be present to the text and consider what God’s Word wants to say to you; to read devotionally.

Again, if this feels daunting, know that we will be sojourners together, to encourage and hold each other (in a graceful and loving way) accountable. If it feels too big to you, all I can say is YOU CAN DO IT AND I TRUST THAT IT WILL BE WORTH YOUR EFFORT! That is what the Holy Spirit is saying to me.