Tuesday, October 20, 2015

What are you reading?

I am always interested in what others are reading in the Scriptures and what they are learning from it.  Currently I am working on reading the ESV Bible through in a year.  It has been a good project as I try and read a different translation each year and have been through the NIV and NASB and NKJV so far.  So often when it comes to Bible reading people are hindered by what they consider to be their own failures.  Let's be honest together - we do not read the Bible enough.  We do not know the Bible as well as we should.  But none of this ultimately matters because of Christ!  The Scriptures encourage us to study them and know them, but never give a "Thou shalt read four chapters per day" or any other such demand.  What God reveals to us He is most interested in is the life change that comes as a result of reading and studying.  And life change can happen over the course of just one or two words.  Life change can happen in a verse, or a chapter, or a book, or wherever the Holy Spirit chooses to illuminate the text to our heart and change us to be more like Christ.  I do not believe it matters at all how much you read - it matters how you read;  are you reading to change your life?  If you read to change, God will use His Word to make you more like Christ. If you read to meet some self-instituted requirement, you will likely not be reading to change.  God can still use this of course, but He will have to overcome the barrier that you yourself have placed. 
So often instead of reading for change we hear that the pastor has read the Bible through multiple times and we assume that we could never do that so why bother trying.  So, by all means, don't try and read the Bible in a year.  Make a goal instead to read the same chapter every day for a week.  Or a month.  Make a goal to read a book (pick a short one to start with) in a month's time.  Read one verse a day every day for this year.  Read one chapter from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New.  Read the verses around your favorite verses.  You may miss a day.  You may not reach your goal, so try again and read.  And the more you read God's Word - however large or small a portion- the more God will use His Word to change your heart and mind.  And the more your heart and mind are changed the more you will love to read God's Word.
So forget about me and how much I read.  Forget about how much your friend or neighbor reads.  Forget about how much you want to read and can't.  Just READ.  And when you read, encourage others with what you have learned from what you read. 
I am currently reading through the book of Mark - what are you reading?

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