Thinking of Reading the Bible in a Year?...Think Again

Yesterday I finished Selwyn Hughes' (CWR) "bible in a year" plan and you know what, I wouldn't recommend it.  Don't get me wrong, the CWR plan was good and came with devotionals from "Everyday with Selwyn" himself which were generally excellent but....it's just too much.

I've come to the conclusion that unless you've got loads of time or, are in some way exceptional, trying to get through the entire Bible, meaningfully ie understanding the authorial intent behind each passage and meditatively reflecting on the content - it's too much.  It's been the first time I've done the "bible in a year" thing and I've really valued revisiting parts of the OT that I'd pretty much forgotten even existed.  It's also been good to get through the whole Bible in a specific period of time rather than covering some of it regularly and other parts hardly ever.  But truth be told it's too often been about "me getting through the bible" rather than "getting the bible through me".  It's not so much been about allowing God's Word to shape me in those times but more often it's been about simply getting it done.

Has it been good to read the Bible through in a year?  Absolutely - there's certainly been benefit but I think there's a better way.

Systematic and regular (most days) Bible reading is essential if we're to know God, His nature and character, and enjoy walking with Him in gospel-motivated obedience.  So we need a plan.  Bible notes can be good if they help us to understand the text without degenerating into banal "a funny thing happened to me yesterday" stories. But if you want a plan that covers the Bible in a sensible time frame then check this out.   Tim Chester's plan covers the whole of the OT in three years and the NT twice.  But more helpfully it works on a weekly basis which I've never come across before and which is pure genius.   He describes the thinking behind the plan here.  

At LBC we're going to be doing the Community Bible Experience in February and March and this is going to serve us really well as we journey through the NT together.  But however we read God's Word, let's be doing it in a way that allows us to cultivate relationship with our Father, knowing Him, trusting Him, revering Him, enjoying Him.