I'm not super big on making New Year's resolutions, but I do often think of what I hope to accomplish each year. Usually I end up with 3-5 things that never happen. See, I'm very good at starting stuff. Not too good at finishing them.
This year my focus is on ONE goal: I'm going to read through the entire Bible chronologically.
I've read through the entire Bible before when I was college. And, certainly, I've read the Bible since then. When I was in college, I was wholly devoted to reading scripture every single day. Then, I got married. And bought a house. And got a dog. And had a child. And the list goes on and on. I became so caught up in being a wife and a mother that, slowly, reading God's Word got shoved to the side. I didn't stop reading the Bible, but it was no longer a priority in my daily schedule.
Well, that's changing. And here's a huge reason why: If I want to change something in my life, I need to be properly aligned. Otherwise, any change I desire will not last.
Okay, let me explain with a story. I used to work for my brother-in-law who is one of the top realtors in the area. (No, I'm not being biased - he really is!) I used to drive around to all of the properties and take pictures to use on the website and in print materials. Well, you can imagine the toll that takes on a vehicle. Of course, running over a few curbs doesn't help either. And, eventually I was really straining to keep the car on a straight path. In other words, I needed a front-end alignment.
I also needed tires. Now, I could have easily gone in and asked for tires only. I would have saved a little money and would have been able to drive my car. But, I would have still be straining to keep my path straight. So, I got the necessary alignment done. And, as the mechanic pointed out, it makes sense to do the alignment while changing tires because it's easier. Less steps or something like that; I'm not really good at auto stuff, so that's the extent of my knowledge. And my memory of the incident.
Just like I made an alignment when I changed my tires, I need an alignment to God's Word before I make any changes in my life. So, diving into scripture makes perfect sense. And not a "I'm reading scripture only when I need guidance on a specific subject," but "I'm going to read this daily, whether I'm on a mountaintop or in a valley."
I found an online group to read alongside with at
Rachel Wojnarowski's blog. She has a lot of great resources including
a simple Bible study guide,
prayer bookmarks, and
ways to saturate your life with scripture. Trust me, visit her site and you will spend hours looking at all of the amazing resources.
I was encouraged by Rachel's challenge to read the Bible daily. I signed up and planned to use the M'Cheyne reading plan. (
Click on the image to go to Rachel's post about the daily Bible reading challenge.)
Then, something amazing happened.
Our pastor issued a challenge to the entire church to join him in reading the Bible chronologically. He even provided us with a
reading plan. The plan goes right along with the chronological reading plan in the Olive Tree app that I'm using.
How awesome is that?!? Just imagine how much my church family will be changed through this, and for the better! God will be glorified and we will reach even more people for Christ!
I'm going to be
blogging through my daily readings on my BEcoming page, where I share my spiritual life story.
I'm super excited about this journey!
What are your plans, resolutions, or goals for 2014?
