Yearly Bible Reading: Reading God’s Word for Our Joy
January 2, 2023 • by Trillia Newbell
Literacy means competence or knowledge in a specific area. Therefore, Bible literacy is competence or knowledge of the Bible. Simple enough. However, studies show that most Americans who own Bibles don’t actually read them (Bob Smietana, Lifeway Research).
But if you chose to read this article, there are a couple of things I can assume: 1) You love God and love His Word, or 2) you want to grow in your love of God and love for His Word. You desire to become Bible-literate.
That’s likely an oversimplification of who you are. You might also be someone who feels guilty because you’ve tried to read the Bible but can’t seem to make it a daily part of your life, so you need some help. Or maybe you have never read the Bible at all and wanted to take on a yearlong challenge—make a New Year’s resolution.
I believe you and I fall into both of my simplified categories. You and I likely love God and love His Word and we desire to grow in the love of God and His Word.
Easing the Doubts
Anytime we set out to do something big—like read the Bible in a year—it’s easy to start our journey with doubts. We’ve failed before we even begin.
That’s why before I get into the nitty-gritty of how to read through the Bible, I want to ease any of your doubts. None of us have arrived. We all find ourselves struggling from time to time to read the Bible and interpret it correctly. There will be many of you who begin reading and then have to coach yourself to keep going. You’ll start and stop and start again. And here’s the good news: that’s okay. Not only is it okay, but it’s also great. The goal of reading the Bible this year isn’t to win some race or prize; we don’t earn more favor before the Lord. The goal is to get in the Word, stay in the Word, and gain biblical literacy.
“The goal of reading the Bible this year isn’t to win some race or prize; we don’t earn more favor before the Lord. ”
What Reading the Bible is Not About
As we seek to delight in God, it’s important to clarify that our reading time is not about earning his approval or favor. Trying to do so leads to the pitfall of legalism in our worship: pursuing good works to earn God’s favor. An example of legalism is reading Scripture so that God will love you and be pleased with you and ensure your standing with Him would be secure. When we work hard to earn God’s favor, we are not operating with faith. Instead, we are saying that we must add to the finished work of Jesus on the cross; that his work wasn’t enough, and therefore we must work to make him happy by, in this case, spending time delighting in his Word.
Why Do We Read God’s Word?
One of God’s sweetest gifts, besides Himself, is his Word. Scripture is God-breathed. Both the Old and New Testaments are his words that reveal him to us (2 Peter 1:21). The Scriptures are useful, binding, relevant, and true (2 Tim. 3:16–17). The law is perfect and revives the soul (Ps. 19:7). The Lord uses His Word to bring people to Himself (Rom. 10:17). God has been gracious to give you and me access to know many things about Him: His creation, His desires for us, and, most important, His Son. Are we reading and treasuring this precious gift?
I have had seasons of Spirit-filled, worshipful, and consistent times in the Word and seasons when reading has felt like a duty rather than a joy and delight. I’ve had seasons when I’ve gotten up at five in the morning to read, study, and pray. And I have had seasons when I was happy just to get in the shower and feed the kids. So, we can all acknowledge that there are times in life when reading the Bible is tough even though we long to.
“One of God’s sweetest gifts, besides Himself, is his Word.”
I have some good news and maybe some bad news: we aren’t necessarily after spiritual highs every time we engage God’s Word. If you approach the Word with the mindset that if you don’t feel something, then you aren’t getting anything from it, you won’t read it. Once you change the focus from yourself to God, it’s not only proper but it’s also freeing. You will need to remind yourself of this truth when you get into the depths of Leviticus or begin reading all of the names in 1 Chronicles. We find joy in Scripture, not because it makes us feel good but because it leads us to the One who spoke it into existence.
In light of all of this, I encourage us to approach our yearly Bible reading with a desire to more deeply know the One who breathed its words. And if we desire a relationship with the Lord, we should speak to Him through prayer. And if we desire wisdom, we should ask ( James 1:5). We should ask the Lord to illuminate His Word to us. We will surely need God’s help to read, understand, and apply His Word. Let’s ask Him for it and start reading!
Adapted from 52 Weeks in the Word: A Companion for Reading Through the Bible in a Year by Trillia Newbell. (©2022) Published by Moody Publishers. Used with permission.
52 Weeks in the Word is a companion to come alongside you in your yearly Bible reading plan. It includes daily Scripture readings, daily reflection questions, prayer prompts and space for writing your own prayer, a weekly reflection written by Trillia on a portion of text from the assigned reading, and day of rest on the last day of the week. You can follow along with Trillia’s yearly plan by purchasing the book through Moody Publishers.
Trillia Newbell is the author of several books including 52 Weeks in the Word, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, Sacred Endurance, If God is For Us, Fear and Faith, and the children's books, The Big Wide Welcome, Creative God, Colorful Us, and God's Very Good Idea. When she isn't writing, she's encouraging and supporting other writers as an Acquisitions Director at Moody Publishers.
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