I made it!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. –Genesis 1:1-3 (NIV)
So I did a thing in 2022. Not bragging or complaining, just stating a fact: For the first time in my life I completed one of those “through the Bible in a year” reading plans. I know this is no big deal for many of you – some of you guys make a practice of this every year and have a streak of several years running. But for me, this was an accomplishment, something I have attempted multiple times and never attained.
I had a youth minister tell me something in junior high school. Actually, he dared me. He said if I would spend as little as five minutes per day reading Scripture, it would change my life. I have missed plenty of days in 45+ years since then; nevertheless, I’ve tried to make a regular practice of reading the Bible. But I’ve never made it all the way through in a single year until now.
Not that it was all angel choirs and enlightenment. There were days it was a slog, completed through sheer force of will. I missed some days here and there, and had to make them up. I’m a pretty slow reader, so maintaining the pace required me to consume large chunks of the text at a time, more than I could adequately digest and meditate on while still working a day job. Example: I finished the year by covering the book of Revelation in four days – amazing, but not nearly enough time to properly analyze the events and symbolism involved.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. –John 1:1-4 (NIV)
On the other hand, walking straight through helped me more fully appreciate some broad themes. God isn’t angry or arbitrary in the Old Testament. He is longsuffering, faithfully looking for opportunity to provide forgiveness, second chances, and redemption to a people He is determined to bless, even in their repeated, obstinate, faithless rebellion.
The New Testament letters, read in their entirety as heard by the original recipients, are more than a smattering of positive-vibe coffee mug slogans. They address real people with real struggles as Peter, Paul, John and others urgently exhort the young church not to lose sight of the hope they have in Christ and the difference that makes in how they live their lives.
Throughout, the focal point is Messiah: God’s unwavering work to redeem creation. Everything before points to the cross, everything after is a result of the resurrection.
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light…. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. –Revelation 22:5a,13 (NIV)
I plan to slow it down a bit for 2023, but I’m glad for what the Spirit showed me in 2022. Whatever your approach, I encourage you to cultivate a habit of spending time in the written word to draw closer to the Living Word. If we want to know God, there is no substitute for reading the Bible. Happy New Year!