Bible in a Year Encouragement

 

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Psalm 119:9-10

At the time this article will be published, we will have 41 days left in the year. And things can get really hectic towards the end of the year. Not only is there Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year festivities, but I also start prepping my goals for next year, celebrate Monica's birthday, and am preparing for the birth of our son, Augustine. It is going to be a very busy 41 days. Perhaps you too have a lot of activities planned and have very full calendar. For those of you who are on the Bible in a Year journey, those who have joined us along the way, and those who are trying to build and maintain a consistent habit of Bible reading, I want to encourage you to press on. At the same time, I want to encourage you to read intentionally, and not just out of duty. I offer you three reasons to keep in mind as you read God's Word, not just this year, but with the intent of building a consistent practice for the rest of your life.

Firstly, it is a form of communion with the Lord. As you are read your Bible, you are learning more about God; who He is, what He delights in, and what He desires of us. That is a truly wonderful thing that we are able to know God. Just like playing a board game or getting lunch with a friend helps you to know that person more personally, when you read God's Word it reveals to us Himself. Do not let those moments go wasted, but enjoy in knowing our God.

Secondly, it commissions us for a holy purpose. We should delight in reading God's word because in it we find all that we need for life and godliness. If you are living (and if you are reading this article, it means that you are alive), then you will find instruction in God's Word and this instruction is very good. As you read His word, ask yourself what it is that it is calling you to repent of, what it is calling you to strip out of your life, and how it is calling you to live.

Lastly, reading the Word conforms us to the image of the Son. And that should bring us even greater joy since we know that it is not a vain or fruitless work. I must clarify that I do not mean that the very act of reading it is somehow magically shaping us into Jesus, but rather that because we read it and know God more and are instructed by God's Word we can be more like Christ. When read, meditated on, and applied properly, God's Word is doing a work within us since it is living and active and is useful in equipping us.

For those who maybe have gotten lost in our Bible in a year journey, may I also encourage you that God never commanded us to read our Bibles completely in a single year. The important thing is that you are actually reading God's Word. There are only 41 days left in 2019, which means that there are 41 more days left for us to enjoy God and to know Him more intimately as we read His word.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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These articles follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to  join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan

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If you find that you have no desire and make no attempt to read His word, that is something completely different and I would like to talk with you more about that. Why not send me an e-mail: OverflowBlog@outlook.com