Thoughts on Reading the Bible

Articles

Gary Henry
02/16/16 - Word Points

Thoughts on Reading the Whole Bible

As the year begins to wind down and we look forward to a new year (yes, I know it hardly seems possible), it may be a good time to think about our DAILY BIBLE READING HABITS.

There are two basic opinions about daily Bible reading:

READ SOMETHING FROM THE BIBLE EVERY DAY. Those who take this position emphasize the need to be exposed to something from God’s word every day but are not concerned whether they cover the whole Bible on any regular schedule.
READ ALL OF THE BIBLE EVERY SO OFTEN. Those who take this position emphasize the importance of reading the entire Bible as often as possible.

Personally, I come down in favor of the second position. I believe we need to be exposed to EVERY PAGE IN THE BIBLE on some kind of regular schedule. If it is the Scriptures that make us “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15), then we need exposure to ALL OF THE SCRIPTURES as often as possible.

Every part of God’s word is there for a purpose, whether we can see it or not. We must avoid focusing totally on the sections of the Bible that we “like.”
We need to see the whole of the Bible as well as the individual parts. Reading the entire Bible every year or two helps us to keep the “big picture” in mind.
There ought not to be any part of the Bible that we haven’t read “recently.” I once heard an older preacher confess, after he had been asked to speak on Zephaniah, “I haven’t looked at that book in over 40 years!” Obviously, he had not been following any kind of daily reading program that covered the whole Bible every so often.
As with our physical food, we need a “balanced diet” of Bible reading. The parts that we have been avoiding may contain the very truths in which our present “nutrition” is deficient.
There is great value in the DISCIPLINE that it takes to read the whole Bible. The effort and sacrifice that go into such a plan are beneficial because they increase our ability to do difficult things.

So if you’ve been following a daily Bible reading plan that has taken you through the entire Bible this year, that’s great. If not, PLEASE CONSIDER THE VALUE OF SUCH A PLAN AS THE NEW YEAR APPROACHES.

Gary Henry – Christian Daily Devotion, www.wordpoints.com