Recently my friend, Todd Littleton, wrote an article about reading the Bible. He included a short video of N.T. Wright discussing the manner in which he reads the Bible. Watching the video and reading Todd’s comments caused me to think about my own method. Several very helpful plans are available and I have used them.
Most of the time these plans have produced frustration as well as joy. The joy is from getting into the Scriptures. The frustration arrives when I miss a day or two. Then I am either having to play catchup or just skip segments. When this happens, I miss out on the narrative of the Bible.
So here is the approach I will now use. I won’t have a specific amount to read. I will try to read enough so as to get the flow of the text. I will return to the places I left off when I return. The return could be later in the day, the next day or whenever. Whenever is not best, but sometimes it happens.
I will begin by reading Psalm 1. This is the biblical songbook. So I will be coming into his presence with singing. The next reading time will be Psalm 2 and on and on. I may breakup Psalm 119 since it is so lengthy.
I will then begin reading in Genesis 1. Each reading time will be a continuation of the Old Testament from the beginning.
Finally I will begin reading at Matthew 1. Each reading time will then continue through the New Testament.
So each day, I should be in a Psalm, the Old Testament and the New Testament. My hope is that it won’t be as rigid, nor will it cause the frustrations that I have experienced at times with other plans.
You may be more disciplined than I. If so, use one of the great plans. The real key is to be reading the Scriptures so that you can hear from God on a regular basis. It is also important to read through sections so that you get the big picture of the Bible. It will help you put some the pieces together a little bit better.
What have been your experiences? Any suggestions?
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