Psalm 119:105, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (KJV) Read the Bible? The whole thing? From cover to cover? Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy? Ive heard theyre hard. Do I have to read the Old Testament? Jesus wasnt even born then. What if I dont understand everything? These concerns plagued me as I sensed God nudging me to read the entire Bible. Id grown up in the church and attended Sunday School and mid-week Bible study every week. But the thought of reading the whole Bible intimidated me. My greatest fears were failure to finish and not being able to understand what I read. To ease my anxiety, I went to my local Christian bookstore with this thought: If Im going to read the whole Bible, certainly I need a new Bible. I previewed various types of Bibles in an array of colors, styles and formats. It seemed like hours had passed. And just when I was about to give up, I pulled the One Year Chronological Bible from the shelf. The format intrigued me. Short readings. An easy-to-follow daily plan. An attractive cover. The best part to me was knowing I would read the Bible in the order the events occurred. Yes! This is the Bible for me. That year I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I stumbled some, but I also learned a lot. I learned Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy really are difficult to read. They are full of laws, actual numbers and more laws. But through those books and the rest of the Old Testament, I learned to really appreciate the wonderful sacrifice Jesus made for me (because theres no way any human on the planet could keep all of those laws). And, I learned its okay if I dont understand the whole Bible. What a relief! You see, I thought a Christian should be able to understand the Bible completely. And because I didnt, I thought something must be wrong with me. Truth is, were not meant to understand everything in the Bible the first time we read it. If we were, we could read it once and put it on our shelf. The Bible is unlike any other book. Hebrews describes Gods Word as living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is meant to help us live life. Therefore, its necessary to have it as a part of our daily living. Our key verse says, The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them. God reveals the truths He wants us to understand when He feels we are ready to understand and apply them. When we dont understand something, it doesnt mean we are less of a Christian or not as smart as another. God, in His infinite wisdom, keeps some things hidden from us until just the right time. With this truth in mind I set out to read the Bible one day at a time. Now many years later, Ive read the Bible in its entirety year after year. Not because Im a super Christian, but because my first reading of the entire Bible taught me that amazing truth ... and I wanted more. What about you? Have you ever thought about reading the entire Bible but were too intimidated to get started? If so, now is your chance. Lets be women who read Gods Book. I promise it will be a life-changer. Father God, we thank You for giving us Your Word to help us through life. Give me the desire to read the Bible every day. Will You teach me Your truths and keep me from becoming overwhelmed with what I dont understand? In Jesus Name, Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:34:59 +0000
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