A New Year's Goal
I am not really a fan of making New Year's resolutions. It seems that most people don't really take them seriously. Anymore most people consider them made to be broken. However, now
I really can't remember how many years ago it was, maybe 25 or so. I decided to start reading through the Bible in a year. I began with the "Narrated Bible" which was later published under the title "The Daily Bible." This Bible was put in as close to chronological order as the editor could make it and then divided up into daily readings. I really enjoyed that and used that method for a few years.
After some time I began to long for more time in the New Testament. I had been spending the majority of the year in the Old Testament and was ready for a change. At that time I was still homeschooling several of my children and I received a planner which included a Bible reading plan that would get through the entire Bible in one year. This plan included four readings a day. There were historical, poetic, and two different New Testament readings. I loved this plan and used it for years. I tore those pages out of my planner and kept them in my Bible case. I still have those pages and they are pretty worn.
A few years ago some Bible publishers came out with Bibles that were printed without chapter and verse markings. The idea was to be able to just read without the distractions of those markings, footnotes and etc. We purchased a copy of the English Standard Version in this edition. That became my new Bible reading plan. I really enjoyed that method. Over the years we have purchased this edition in several versions. We bought a multi-volume ESV, a multi-volume ASV and the Holman Christian Standard. I highly recommend these editions.
I have enjoyed continuing to use various versions through the years. Not all versions are available in these editions but I believe more are being published. This past year I decided to read the New American Standard from the copy we purchased when we were in college even before we were married. It, of course, has the chapter and verse markings. After having read the Bible without such markings I find it easier to ignore them, at least to an extent.
All this to get back around to saying that now is a great time to set a goal of reading through the Bible in 2023. I guarantee it will be a blessing to you. I cannot tell you what a great blessing it has been to me to develop this practice.
With the world all around us telling us all kinds of things and distracting us from listening to God's voice, it is vital that we spend time reading and meditating on God's word. The lies of Satan can sound pretty convincing and if we are not listening to the right voice we will be led astray.
Let's welcome the new year with a new goal. Choose a method. You can use one of my
Do you have a favorite Bible reading plan? If so, please share it in the comments. We would all like to hear about it.
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