Week 52 of Read the Bible in 2011 begins today. This past year I’ve been putting up a variation of this post each week to explain what I’m doing when readers find posts on different books of the Bible on different days. Michael Coley’s reading plan mixes readings from different sections of the Bible:
Sunday: The Epistles: Romans—Jude.
Monday: The Law: Genesis—Deuteronomy.
Tuesday: History: Joshua—Esther.
Wednesday: The Psalms.
Thursday: Poetry: Job—Song of Solomon.
Friday: Prophecy: Isaiah—Malachi, Revelation.
Saturday: The Gospels & Acts: Matthew—Acts.
Why is it so important for us to read God’s Word?
In the passage we call the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus finished his teaching by telling a story of two houses:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell–and great was its fall.”
When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
To withstand the storms of these difficult times we must have our lives built on rock of God’s Word. In the Bible God tells us who He is and who we are as He “truths” us through His Word. To let our own thoughts or the world’s trump God’s Word is building our lives on deceptive sand, setting our house up to crash. We have to know His Word to live by His Word.
Posts from weeks 1–13 are on the Winter Quarter page under Read the Bible in 2011, and Weeks 14–26 are on the Spring Quarter page. Weeks 27–39 are on the Summer Quarter page. The rests are on the Fall Quarter page.
If you see a post without a link or title containing an &, then it means there may not be a post on that day’s reading or else the post is only a reminder. If you see a link and title where you hadn’t noticed one before, it means I’ve gone back and written a post. Some weeks I have so many thoughts there is too much to write about and other times the dailiness of life has meant I could not write at length. As I’ve written to you, and as I have to remind myself, the point is not perfection, but perseverance.
If it makes your head spin to read a different book each day of the week, you might try M’Cheyne’s plan which alternates between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It’s set up with family and private devotionals each day. Adapt it as you like—you could go through the family readings before you do the private readings. Ben Edgington has numerous helpful links. This is M’Cheyne’s calendar with his introduction. You can also go straight through the Bible.
Some daily reading assignments go rapidly through a book, while other books are taken much more slowly. Pace yourself as you need to, but keep reading. The important thing is to read God’s Word daily: remember, the point is not perfection, but perseverance.
If you didn’t start in January 2011, you can get a head start on January 2012. If you want to start Genesis in the New Year, pick up with this week’s reading or try various plans to see which one you think would work the best for you.
Don’t be discouraged by what you don’t know or by what you don’t understand. Come with a humble and hungry heart, and ask God to teach you and enable you to learn what you need to know right now to trust God and to obey Him.
May the Lord be with you and bless you through the reading of His Word.
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Isaiah 42 Photograph: ChristianPhotos.net – Free High Resolution Photos for Christian Publications
Waves crashing over The North Pier, Tynemouth: FreeFoto.com
Original content: Copyright ©2011 Iwana Carpenter
Kindling for Candles 