TBC Notes -New Year's Resolution Check?

New Year’s Resolution Check?

It’s going on six months since some of us (maybe many!) resolved to read the Bible every day. So, how’s it going? I hope that it’s going more than well—to the degree that each new day carries the excitement of learning from and growing in God’s Word.

On the other hand, you may have started off enthusiastically but then missed some days, even to the point where the missed days may have outnumbered the other days. When that happens, we often grow discouraged and may find our resolution to read dissolving altogether. One of the reasons that I’m not a big fan of “read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year” approaches is that for many the goal becomes the primary focus rather than understanding and absorbing the Word itself. The pressure to “get through” the Bible within a certain time frame might cause some to lose heart in the program, as well as in the spiritual content itself, and they fall even further behind.

I read the Bible nearly every day, which is the best habit I’ve ever developed. When the “nearly” became not nearly as consistent as I wanted (sometimes for reasons beyond my control), I simply got back on track as soon as I could. There wasn’t any pressure to keep up with a certain schedule of finishing the Scriptures by a certain date—and therefore no frustration that might cause me to miss the spiritual value of God’s Word.

It’s fascinating that both the gospels of Matthew and Luke mirror each other at chapter 4, verse 4, as well as underscore how critical to our lives the Word of God is: “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” and “Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” 

So, in my view, the daily habit is the thing, and you can start (or restart it) right away.

T. A. McMahon

Executive Director