From cover to cover
From Genesis through Revelations
From creation to things yet to come
From the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem
Yes! After finally committing to the endeavor of reading all 66 books that make up the Bible I have finally finished the entire thing. Yeah, growing up in church I knew most of the stories. After attending many a bible study I had a few good answers. Let me tell you though, nothing compares to what God can teach you as you devour his word for yourself.
A lot of my readers probably already know this for themselves.. but maybe you’re like me. Maybe you stay in the safe and easy zone of reading Paul’s letters when you have some extra time and occasionally you flip to the Gospels. When your going through a personal struggle maybe you google things like, “verses on worry,” and then pick the one that fits your scenario best. This was my way of scripture study for the longest time.
If this is also you, trust me when I tell you that your missing out! No, I am no more saved than I was when I started. Grace is not given in proportion to how much we study the Word. God is not going to withhold from us the less we delve into His word, rather we are withholding ourselves from Him. A relationship is a two-way street. As with anything we are going to get out what we put in. This goes with any aspect of our relationship with Father whether that be prayer, scripture reading, worship, or anything else. God wants to teach us new things and love us in new ways, but it takes us reciprocating that desire.
Something that I learned right off the bat with my reading was that it can not be a forced habit. Yes, it is good to make it into a habit, to set goals, and to make a plan of action for such an undertaking, but if done forcibly and out of pressure to perform then the growth you’ll get will be a mirrored of that. However, if the plan of action is done out of a desire to know God more and to make Him known then I promise the Word comes to life, the stories reveal new life lessons, and the love of the Father oozes from the pages and fills our life with more light.
I write this blog for the person out there that is in the same boat as me. You have a toe in the water. Your teetering on the brink of something ground breaking, but your allowing your busy schedule and societal striving to get in the way. Trust me and just read the dang thing!
