2011 - What about the Bible?

About two years ago I started noticing people not making New Year's Resolutions anymore, but making goals instead.  I think this is a wise move since resolutions tend to be forgotten by February.  I haven't made my list of goals yet, but I am going to make it my goal to make some goals (Ha). 

I think we all set out to make "good" goals.  We want to lose weight or get organized or start menu planning.  Those are all good things, but what about the best things?  If we can prioritize our Bible reading and studying, our prayer life and our memorization of Scripture so much of the rest of our life will fall into place. 

I would like to encourage you to take the "Read the Bible in 90 Days" Challenge.  It doesn't involve study (although you can if you want to).  It is just pure reading of the Bible.  It sounds daunting.  It is a good 45 minutes a day of reading the Bible.  And I don't want to hear that you don't have time.  You have time for what you make time for - so make time.  I read the Bible through in 90 days last year and I am so glad I did.

It gave me a picture of God that you could only get from reading His Word cover to cover.  You don't have to buy the Bible, you can just follow this plan.  Now if you choose not to do this, that is fine, just do something!

First off, pray about this and ask God to help you find time to read your Bible.  Trust me, He will!

Next, find someone to keep you accountable.  You could even go to Mom's Toolbox and leave a comment because she posts reminders every week.

Now, make a commitment to start memorizing Scripture!  Find a partner to join in this with you that you could say your verses to each week.  I have posted this before but if you don't know where to start - try using the Navigator's Topical Memory System.  Or you could start by refreshing your memory about the verses you memorized when you were younger.  You could also start memorizing chapters or books - like Jude - just one chapter but you could say you memorized a book of the Bible.  Over the last 18 months I have well over 100 new verses memorized.  I'm not saying this to brag.  I am telling you that I cannot even remember names of simple household items like pot holders.   So if I can do it - anyone can!

Please let me encourage you to start this today.  You won't regret it.  And if you need an accountability partner but don't know who to ask I would be happy to do that for you.  You could leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I would e-mail you weekly.

Have a blessed 2011 and may you hold tightly to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  May you get to know Him better this year and for years to come.

Read the Bible in 90 Days Wrap Up

I wasn't entirely sure I could do this challenge because I had started this in January and gave up.  This time was different.  Once I was passed Deuteronomy I knew I was going to finish.  I think the reading the Bible this quickly is really effective.  It allows you to see that there is an end.   You remember the words in the Old Testament when they are referred to in the New Testament. 

It gave me a view of God that I have not had before.  I learned so much.  I learned how truly jealous God is for his people.  I learned that the fear of Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I was so thankful to get to the New Testament and then reading the story of Jesus four times through the gospels was so wonderful.  It was heartbreaking and yet reaffirming.

I did have a hard time with Revelations because it was the last book and it is hard to grasp everything without a thorough study of the book.

I would encourage anyone to take this challenge.  They are starting another one in January.  The reading really isn't that long unless you get a few days behind, but even if you do - you can catch up.

I will tell you what else it did for me - it made me rethink so many of the things I was doing.  After the kids went to bed at night is when I usually read my Bible.  It made me turn off the TV and just read the Bible.  After weeks of doing this I really did not want to watch the shows I used to watch.  I got in such a habit of doing that that I just didn't even want to turn on the TV even if I had my reading done for the day.

I have started to see more how important the holiness of God is.  I have seen how allowing the world in (even just a little bit) can lead to destruction as proof from the Israelites. 

I have changed my standards even more about what TV and movies I watch.  I am not legalistic with myself but I find that things that I used to like I don't really like anymore.

Reading the Bible in 90 days is an amazing experience.  In my 28 years of being a Christian I have never done it all the way through and I am thankful that now I have. 

Again, thank you to Mom's Toolbox for challenging all of us to do this!

Read the Bible in 90 Days - the home stretch!

This is the last week of Reading the Bible in 90 Days.  I am almost done.  As usual I am behind.  I am about to finish II Corinthians so I will be using the two "extra"days to finish but I will finish!  I loved reading Acts.  I loved it. I am enjoying Corinthians as well (both books).   There are so many great verses in these books.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  II Cor. 4:16


Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  I Cor. 10:31

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  I Cor. 10:13

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[a] and in your spirit, which are God’s.  I Cor. 6:9-10

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed  II Cor. 4:8-9 

I know I say this every time but I have loved this challenge.  It has been so beneficial for me.  I am so thankful I was able to participate. 

Thank you again to Mom's Toolbox for hosting this and encouraging all of us each week.

Read the Bible in 90 Days, Week 12

Well, here we are at week 12 and I am one day behind.  I have no doubt that I will catch up tomorrow but I do seem to be running behind lately.  I have to say that reading the gospels one right after the other is amazing (I know I use that world a lot).  It is so neat to read the stories of Jesus life and ministry again and again from a different perspective yet still the same story.  The gospels contain so many of my favorite verses. 

John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
 
How can you not love that verse?  I memorized in high school and it has been a verse that I come back to again and again.   And another verse I love John 14:27.

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

There are many, many more.  I do love reading the New Testament and I love the encouragement I get from the life of Jesus.

Thank you again to Mom's Toolbox for hosting this and encouraging all of us each week.

Read the Bible in 90 Days - Week 11

I have been woefully lacking in posting my progress and I am so sorry.  I will tell  the truth - I have been a bit behind and I wanted to mostly catch up before I posted anything new.  I have finally almost caught up.  I got so bogged down in reading Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  I finished Ezekiel but I have to go back and finish Jeremiah.  I got a little discouraged reading those two books which put me further behind and so I finally decided to just read what I was suppose to for that day and then go back and catch up on them.  I finished Ezekiel - what a tough book to read and am halfway through Jeremiah but I plan to be caught up by next week.

I have been reading my daily schedule though and I am finally in the New Testament (hallelujah).  I am almost done with Matthew.  I am about to read about the Crucifixion which makes me cry and convicts me every time (as it should).  Reading the Bible straight through is still amazing to me because when Jesus quotes Isaiah in the New Testament it is still fresh in my mind and I can remember some of it.  I have been a believer since I was six years old but I have never learned more about God than I have in reading the Old Testament straight through.  I definitely think there is a time to do in depth study - but it is also really interesting to just read the Bible all the way through.

I have learned that God is definitely a jealous God.  There is a reason to fear Him.  I think reading the sins of the Israelites and then their punishment really makes this verse come alive:  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."  Psalm 111:10

It really is painful to read of how God's people just disregarded Him.  It is absolutely convicting and heart breaking.  Again, I am so thankful for His grace and His mercy.

The New Testament is wonderfully new territory.  I am so excited to be there and to be so close to finishing.  I really would like to do this once a year.  Are any of you considering doing it (if you haven't already)?

Thanks again to Mom's Toolbox for hosting this!

Read the Bible in 90 Days, Week 5

I am doing pretty well in my reading.  As of today I am 5 chapters behind (Chronicles you know).  I have no worries that I will catch up tomorrow.  2 Kings was tough to read.  It is so hard to see how many kings stopped following the Lord.  They stopped following so much that the Book of the Covenant was lost.  It was unbelievable.  It makes you think that it really only takes 3 generations and if we do not teach our children about the Lord, a generation will come that knows nothing of Him - scary right?

Another observation is how the Lord was faithful and kept His Word.  The kings would not follow Him and yet he would keep His promise to the House of David.  He was so longsuffering, but He did administer justice.

Some of the Bible is difficult to read.  It is hard to read about people sacrificing their children and horrible famines that take place.  I am still loving that I am reading the Bible all the way through because so many times I have read bits and pieces and have heard sermons but really reading it from cover to cover is just amazing.  I am so thankful for this challenge!


Thanks again to Mom's Toolbox for hosting this.

Read the Bible in 90 Days Challenge - Week 4

I have been doing this challenge now and I am really enjoying it.  I feel like I should do this constantly throughout the year.  I am not sure why this time has worked for me, but  it has.  I don't get up early and read the Bible.  I do it at night when the house is quiet and mostly everyone is in bed.  And you know what, I am loving it.  There are times in my life when reading the Bible has been difficult.  I have just went through the motions.  I can't say why I am getting so much out of this but I really look forward to my time in the Word and reading my Bible in the quiet of night.
Serious things have stood out to me with this past weeks reading.  Reading through Judges and I Samuel I was constantly reminded how important fearing God is.  The Israelites just kept forgetting what God had done for them and they would forget God, compromise their beliefs - build idols, marry women they shouldn't marry, do evil and despicable acts.  And every  time, the person bringing the message to the Israelites would start the message with something like this, "Remember the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt . . . ".  They would start with the list of things that God had done for them and then tell them how they had forgotten God and then how they would be punished.  This happened over and over again.

And then in Samuel, Saul disobeyed God and lost His favor after he decided to keep some sheep and other animals that he was suppose to destroy.  Saul tried to argue and say they were for sacrificing to the Lord, but he was still disobedient.  He had compromised because those things looked good to him.  He paid dearly for it.

And then this morning in church, our pastor spoke from 2 Chronicles 18 and the title was "Finish Well: You Can Live Above Compromise" and you know what - I think now I really have a weapon like never before to avoid compromise.  I will just re-read Judges.  When I think that I may do something that I know I shouldn't or watch a movie that I know is not honoring to the Lord or watch a show that has some questionable content, I will just think about the Israelites in the book of Judges and how dumb they were and how many times they messed up and what awful things they had to endure because of it.

I should be to the point where I do not apologize for my faith and my beliefs.  I should speak up but not in a condesending way, in a loving way and let people know where I stand (still need lots of help with this one).
My children are young, but they need to see strong parents who say, we will not compromise our morality to be associated with you.  It just won't happen.  We're done. 

And if that wasn't enough right there, I read my cousin's wife's blog just tonight - hello!  You really should go check it out.

"We are to live in such a way that those outside the faith see our good deeds and our manner and know that there is something “different” about us. Christians who make every effort to live, think and act like those who do not know Christ do Him a great disservice. Even the heathen knows that “by their fruits you shall know them,” and as Christians, we should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit within us."  resource

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.  I John 2:15-17

Thanks again to Mom's Toolbox for hosting this.