Every Christian I know holds the Bible in high regard. We carry them dutifully to church every week, own multiple copies, and download Bible apps to our phones. Unfortunately, despite our reverence for God’s Word and its extreme availability, surveys show both Biblical literacy and Scripture intake are at their lowest in generations. Why is it that those of us who earnestly believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God struggle to integrate it into our lives? Honestly, the why doesn’t even matter. The real question is what do we do about it?
When I became a Christian at 32, I thought I had a lot of catching up to do. Unlike so many others, I didn’t grow up attending church regularly. Within a year of coming to faith, I was diving into Scripture for the first time. As I poured over the pages and got to know the histories, parables, wisdom, and poetry, it was life-changing. There have been innumerable things that have stretched and deepened my Christian walk, but none so much as getting into God’s Word. This is why I’m passionate about helping others get into the Word.
Many of us fall into the routine of attending weekly services to be taught. We’ve been lulled into thinking a half-hour on Sunday is all we need in order to know and understand God and His will for us. I believe I speak on behalf of most preachers when I say their deep desire is for every believer to learn to read and interpret scripture personally. Sunday morning is the cherry on top of our weekly walk with God, it is not intended to be our sole soul sustenance.
At the beginning of this year I invited a few friends to get into the Word with me. We started in Luke and then moved to Acts. It was an incredible time of growth, community, and encouragement. The plan was reasonable and a bunch of us moved through it. Last week I invited my friends to get back on the journey with me. This time we’re going through the entire New Testament. 260 chapters. If we read five days a week, it will take exactly one year. The five-days-a-week plan gives us the flexibility to miss a day or two without getting too far behind. If we find ourselves a week behind, it’s still easy to catch up.
To help everyone out, I’ve got a Facebook group going. We can post encouragement, insights, and questions while also helping with accountability. Jump in any time you like, we’re right HERE.
I keep referring to this as a “bookmark plan” because if you’re using a physical Bible all you need is a bookmark. No checklists are necessary. Just move your bookmark every day and you’ll always know where you are. However…because many people love checklists, I’ve created one for you here: 260 Day Plan.
Join the journey. Get into the Word until the Word gets into you. Our first goal is to get into the habit of getting into Scripture. We’ll share tips along the way and introduce more ideas to help get you deeper into the Word and draw nearer to God.