This morning, I finished the Bible reading plan I've been working on!!!! I spent most of the month of March in the New Testament and I really meant to write an update sooner, but I never got around to it.
My time in the Old Testament was some of the richest time I've had in God's Word in a long time. It stirred up a fire and a thirst for more of God and built a greater understanding of who He is. I want everyone I know to read through the Old Testament an hour or so at a time (good luck stopping when the hour is up) until they've read it all! Seriously. Do it.
I'm pretty sure it was March 7 when I moved into the New Testament. The Gospels pretty much accomplished the same thing in my soul that the Old Testament got started. Reading about the coming of the Messiah directly after having steeped myself in the REASON for His coming and the PROMISE of it, was the best move I could have made. I tasted the joy that God was delivering to the world in a new way. Watching the Old Testament be quoted again and again really stood out to me.
Apart from the Psalms, the book of Ruth, and sections of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Epistles are the part of the Bible that I am most familiar with. I didn't know what to expect from my time there...It turned out, that I became aware of the urgency with which these letters were written. I never realized just how much Paul went through and I didn't have a timeline set up in my head as to the occasion of each letter. Once again, the time that I had spent in the Word made these days that much more profitable. I felt involved in the unfolding of Scripture. I had a grasp as to what the times were like and why each letter needed to be received.
This morning, I read the epistles that were written by other men and then finished up with the very first book of the Bible I ever read as a Christian (Revelation). Holy Week is here and I'm not sure where I'll be in God's Word tomorrow morning, but I know that I'm so glad that I made this commitment to myself.
What are you reading in God's Word this week?
Have you ever read the Bible from cover to cover according to a specific plan?
PS - I completely forgot to tell you
that I was over at Faith's blog on Wednesday.
Please go visit the post that I wrote for her Overcoming Insecurities series!
That's great that you made it all the way through and that it deepened and energized your faith! My husband and I took a class at my church a few years ago that takes you through about 80% of the Bible...so I didn't read the whole thing, but I came close. One day I'll go back through and choose a plan to read it cover to cover--I know it will be worthwhile!
ReplyDeleteLove your heart!! :) I feel the same way about those books of the Bible. I started over in the NT. Finished Matthew right before easter & am in Mark now. SO encouraging to my heart!! I love reading Jesus' words over and over. So awesome. Thanks for linking up :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so great! I'm glad you read through the whole Bible. Im impressed you read it through so fast!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading through my Bible now but am on a much slower pace. I'm currently in Isaiah. Some of it is easy to understand but a lot of the prophecy I don't quiet get.
You know what book I really liked that surprised me? Ezekiel! It was full of judgment but over and over God said that it was so they would know that He was The Lord! It was like his judgment was a wakeup up call so their relationship could be restored to God.