This is typically the time where people start to make goals for next year. Goals to lose weight or exercise more or quit smoking. Some people also set goals to read through the whole Bible. There is an entire industry devoted to this desire.
Last year, I set a goal to read over 3,000 chapters of the Bible. I failed. I read a lot of the Bible, but it started to become a chore for me. I fell behind my schedule and there was no joy in it for me. I read because I was trying to make my goal, not because I was trying to get closer to God or grow in my relationship with Christ.
I quit my plan. And I loved it! I could start to read the Bible because I wanted to, not because I was trying to meet some artificial goal I had set for myself. At the end of the day, God doesn't care how many chapters I have read. He isn't going to grill me because I never read Haggai or Zephaniah (although it might be slightly awkward to meet them in heaven). God is only concerned with the growth of my relationship and how it is developed through reading and applying His Word.
As the new year approaches, I recommend that you make it a point to be in God's Word on a daily basis. Read it, savor it, love it, but do not let it become a chore. Study God's Word because you want to, not because you have some sort of goal to meet.
What are some ways that you use to read the Bible? Do you use a reading plan?
No comments:
Post a Comment