Goals for 2013 - Read as Much Scripture as Possible

Continuing my discussion of my 2013 goals, I decided that I will read as much Scripture as possible. Last year I set a goal of reading over 3,000 chapters of Scripture. This year, I am not setting a goal.

I love to read the Bible. I love digging into God's Word and discovering how the story of God's redemptive plan plays out. The more of the Bible I read, the more I see how the pieces fit together.

The reading "plan" that I have used in the past and will be using this year is the Grant Horner Reading Plan. This reading plan is intense (10 chapters a day in 10 different locations), but it is an incredible experience. The thing I like the best is that there is no schedule to the plan. You can read at your pace without worrying about falling behind or getting into a hole.

If you decide to do this reading plan, be warned that you will develop a strong understanding of the Bible. You will read a number of different passages, many of them multiple times. You will begin to see how all of the writing flows together. And, if you tire of reading some passages multiple times, there are a number of sites online that offer modifications to the program.

What are you using to read Scripture this year?

Awakening Teaching Calendar for January 2013

Here is a list of the preliminary teaching calendar for the January 2013. Please refer to this list so that you are able to see what we will be teaching on each Wednesday in Awakening.

• January 2 - Habits - Hanging Out with God (Philippians 2:12-13)
• January 9 - Habits - Accountability (Proverbs 18:24; Ecclesiastes 4:9)
• January 16 - Habits - Bible Memorization (Psalm 119:11)
• January 23 - Habits - Involved with the Church Body (Acts 2:12-13)
• January 30 - Habits - Tithing (1 Timothy 6:10)
• February 6 - Habits - Studying Scripture (Psalm 19:7-8)

After the lesson has been taught, additional resources for each lesson will be available. Please check back to access these materials.

I Won't Be Setting a Bible Reading Goal Next Year

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?