Resolved... to read!

Seriously, I don't think I need to resolve to do this. I LOVE reading, mostly classics, history, theology or applied Christianity. Oh, and blogs. (See my "Blogs worth reading" sidebar.) Since I always have at least 3 or 4 books going at one time, what I really need to resolve to read is the Most Important Book Ever Written, better known as the Bible. When my kids learn to read I tell them that the main reason I am teaching them to read is so that they can read this most important book, and it is the first book that I give them once they have learned to read on their own. Why would I need to "resolve to read" this book, if it is the most important book ever written? I have read it, actually. Well, most of it. Certain parts over and over again. But some parts I have just skipped over. Some parts I like to pretend aren't in there. And even though I believe it is the most important book ever written, I find that unless I read it regularly - I forget what it says, or at least I begin to act like I forget what it says. It's almost like a person who looks into the mirror and then goes away and forgets what they look like. (I think that comes from this book, too.)

I recently listened to a sermon by John Piper called Holding Fast the Word of Life which really inspired me to want to read the Bible every day. In this sermon, he lists several promises of the Bible related to the reading or hearing of God's word. The whole thing is inspiring and worth listening to, especially for his extended quotation of the entire book of Phillipians at the beginning, but here are the promises that he reminds us of at the end of the sermon...

Hold fast to it for the sake of faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17).

Hold fast to it for the sake of your joy. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

Hold fast to it for the sake of your freedom. “If you abide in my word . . . and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

Hold fast to it for the sake of your holiness. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Hold fast to it for the sake of the Holy Spirit. “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:5)?

Hold fast to it for the sake of life. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Hold fast to it for the sake of strength and stability and fruitfulness. Your delight will be “in the law of the Lord, and on his law you will meditate day and night. You will be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that you do you will prosper” (Psalms 1:2–3).

So I am resolved to read through a portion of the Bible every day. There are a lot of good plans out there for reading through the Bible, but I have chosen the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. I like it because I will be reading whole chapters at a time, Old Testament and New Testament together and I can supplement the readings with some free commentary and explanations from D.A. Carson at his blog, For the Love of God.

The boys have all decided that they would like to set a Bible reading goal this year as well. Jeff wants to read the whole New Testament this year. He listened through much of the Old Testament last year. The oldest wants to read all of 1 and 2 Kings. I think he likes all the battles in them. The middle child wants to read all the Psalms. He figures if he can read three Psalms each week, he can get through them all. The youngest, who can't read yet, wants to listen to the book of Acts. He likes Acts because he can read that word and can find it in his own Bible.

If you are also interested in a read through the bible plan, you might try this link: Bible Reading Plans