2.11.2012

Any Day Resolution

The start of a new year often brings reflection and thus the idea to resolve to do some things different.  Most years I'm not one for "New Year's Resolutions" because I think if I'm going to make a change I'm going to change no matter what day it is.  However, this year I read a great article that inspired me to make a (New Year's) Resolution to read my Bible everyday/read through it in a year.  I had done this once before in high school and for a long time have said to myself "well, i've already read through the Bible", but this year I thought, why not do it again?? It's been at least 10 years (shockingly) and I am happy to say

#1- 40 days into the new year I have stuck with it. I am only two days behind schedule and actually the program I am following allows for five "catch up days" a month (aka GRACE which is fantastic for me)

#2-there's a great quote by Nelson Mandela that says "There's nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have changed." I love this quote for a lot of reasons but in this application, it has been so cool to read through the very same Bible I read ten years ago and see such a difference in myself-my understanding, my perspective, my interest, etc. What a great testimony of God's work in us, slowly but surely over time.

Which leads to #3-I am really enjoying it!  And so far I have *especially* enjoyed the Old Testament (this was definitely not the case the first time around LOL) But the stories in Genesis have been leaping off the page and I find myself drawn to them like a great novel but one full of TRUTH and WISDOM that tells me about God and it's just fascinating! I recently also re-read Gone With the Wind for the first time since high school and in contrast it was so *depressing*. I was so BUMMED at the end and it messed with my head for days. But God's Word is not like that. The Bible is full of so much HOPE and GRACE...woven throughout every page. All that to say, try reading the story of Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29 ) or the story of Joseph (Genesis 37) and see if it doesn't draw you in!

So a couple words of practical motivation...

Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

God breathed LIFE into Adam. 
This isn't the way it happens anymore, we are born and given the grace of life in the womb (see previous post).

BUT, Scripture does say in 2Timothy 3:16 that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
God breathed SCRIPTURE into being. 

Now...this is the really cool part....

Psalm 119:50, 93 "This is my comfort in affliction, for Your word has given me life....I will never forget your precepts for by them You have given me life."

God breathes Life, God breathes Scripture, Scripture is Life...
Scripture is the way God breathes Life into us. 
Is that so awesome?!? I love it.  What a great gift we have been given!

Think about these questions...
Do you believe God is God? (probably yes)
Do you believe JK Rowling or Dan Brown is the best author every? (probably no)
Have you read Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code? (probably yes to one or both)
Have you read the Bible? The whole Bible?

Statistics come in that only around 10-20% of professed Christians have read the Bible through in entirety. 92% of households own a Bible, in fact most have at least three copies, and yet only 37% of people read it even once a week. Less than half of the population can name all four Gospels!
 (Sources: http://www.theologicalstudies.citymax.com/page/page/1572910.htmSources: http://www.lightspeedbible.com/Press.html)

So here's a link with some resources for you if you are interested in starting but not sure where to begin:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/2011-bible-reading-plans

It doesn't have to be a holiday or a birthday to make a resolution. Every Sunday is a new week, every morning is a new day. The very Word of the only Holy God is sitting on a shelf or in a drawer full of LIFE and JOY and HOPE within. Why not make a resolution any day, like today, to pick it up and really read it?

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