The Year of the Bible

This is not to say that 2010 is a year where the Bible should be more important than it was in 2009 or that we will put less emphasis on it in 2011. The hope is that 2010 will be a year in which all of us grow in our commitment to be in God’s Word and our commitment to live out God’s Word. It isn’t simply about accomplishing our reading plan; it’s about incorporating what we read into our daily lives. It means nothing to God for you to read the entire Bible in a year and live contrary to what you’ve read.

For some of us, the Bible really plays no active role. Yes, we’ve heard most of its stories. Yes, we have it read to us each Sunday we go to church. But too few of us are actively investing time and energy into not just reading Scripture but meditating and reflecting on what God is saying to us.

Foundational to growing in faith is to reflect on Scripture. We can’t claim commitment to Jesus Christ and ignore what He has said. It’s like taking a new job and saying to your new employer, you know, I’m not real interested in your job description. I’m going to make that up as I go.

Here are a few suggestions about how you can increase your commitment to being in God’s Word:

1. Tell someone else about your new plan and ask them to hold you accountable. You could even do this together and plan to meet consistently to talk about what God has been showing you.

2. Don’t give up if you miss a few days, even a week. Keep at it. It’s like exercise. If you miss a few days, the worst thing you can do is stop. Keep going and don’t beat yourself up for what you haven’t done, focus on what you can do today.

3. Find a resource (commentary, devotional) to help provide direction and additional insight. Be sure you have a Study Bible. They are helpful in better understanding the text you read. The NIV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible, or the ESV Study Bible are all good options.

4. Read Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth OR Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible Book by Book .

5. Every time you open God’s book, ask Him to help you hear what He desires to say. Make prayer foundational to your time in God’s Word. Remember, the goal is not to figure it out and understand everything, it’s to be drawn into the presence of God so He can speak and help you to grow.

6. Remember if you want drama, intrigue, suspense, mystery, action, a love story, and even some comedy, there is no greater book than the Bible. If you ever wonder if God could use someone like you, the Bible makes very clear that God doesn’t pick the most capable; He picks those who makes themselves available to Him.

7. Memorize. You can’t underestimate the significance of letting God’s Word dwell in your heart. You can do it. Everyone can. At the very least, try. Don’t talk yourself into not trying because you think you can’t. Know that the voice of discouragement is not God’s. He calls us to memorize, and He never asks us to do anything He doesn’t equip us for. Memorizing almost always is thwarted not by “I can’ts” but by “I won’ts.” You can. Will you?

8. If you have access to the internet, use it in your study. There is an unending supply of great resources for Bible study and theology. The sites I frequent most are:

a. www.desiringgod.org – John Piper’s excellent site
b. www.monergism.com – Type in an area of interest and see the vast resources that come.
c. www.challies.com – One of the most well-known Christian blogs. It’s his full-time job. He reviews all sorts of books.
d. www.biblestudytools.com – A great resource for deepening your Bible study.
e. www.crosswalk.com – A comprehensive sight with devotionals/resources
f. www.biblegateway.com – An online Bible – can choose from lots of versions

Let the Word of Christ dwell in your richly. Colossians 3:16

Will you make the Bible one of your most important New Year’s resolutions? Will you let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in 2010? Let’s do it together.