A
BBtJ.Org
Site
Bring Back the Joy --- B B t J . O r g
|
WHY READ THE BIBLE?
Over the years, many of us have heard from the pulpit that we are to read our Bible. In many cases, the object of doing so seems more important than the "Why?" Let me tell you my story. Back in the 90s, one of my friends began reading The Yearly Bible published by Tyndale. In 2000, she began to encourage her friends to read along with her. The Yearly Bible is printed in various versions. While on a trip to visit my father in Lubbock, I found a King James Version, the version with which I am most familiar. Each daily reading is divided into passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms/Proverbs. I kept my Bible in the bathroom. I'd read the Old Testament in the morning, the NT in the afternoon--and fit the Psalms and Proverbs in somehow during another trip to the toilet. Doing it this way made the reading happen in short spurts during uninterrupted time away from family and work. Although I had read the entire Bible through in the past, doing this reading with friends began my "love affair" with Bible reading. I have read it through yearly since that time. While on a visit to Houston, we had dinner with friends whom we had known in Alaska. They told us that their pastor had encouraged them to do the Read the Bible in 90 Days program. They had been amazed at how much they enjoyed this overview. Most of us reject this idea; it's impossible to read that quickly. It was another year before I got up the courage to try it. I'll admit that I skipped the begats and sometimes my eyes glazed over when I got to a familiar section. I even sang my way through a couple of Psalms when I remembered a hymn based on a passage. However, I throroughly enjoyed this exercise. In order to read the whole Bible in only 90 days, one needs to eliminate the mindset that one must mull over every word in order to "learn" what the Bible says. The idea is to get flow of the books. I liked this quick reading because by reading approx 11 chapters a day, one doesn't forget the beginning of the story before getting to the end. It takes only a few days to read a whole book like Genesis. This gives a sense of accomplishment. My life has been enriched. I encourage you to give it a try. Even if you can't keep up with the amount of material in each day (either program)...check off the passage when you do get it done. Or skip if you need to. The idea is to spend time in the Word. Now, to answer the big question? Why should one read the Bible? Not because our pastor said to do it. Not because our Sunday School group is doing it. Not because someone challenged you to do so. The whole point of life is our relationship with God. The pages of the Bible are one way of spending time with him and learning about him. We learn the history of the early Hebrew people. Their problems stemmed from lack of trust in God. Even though he did so much for them, they never did learn to love Him for who he was. Jesus, the son of God, came to this earth. He loved mankind enough to come and be a sacrifice for us. He paid for our sins by his death and then his resurrection gives us access to God. Both God the Father, and Jesus Christ loved us then and love us now. We have the scriptures that can show us about the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The more we read them and ask for understanding, the greater our relationship with them will be. It is unnecessary to have a special Bible for these programs. You may find the lists of readings at the following webpages or websites: The One Year Bible Online (see also One Year Bible Blog for study notes) Read the Bible in 90 Days |
> Click Here to find out about Partnering with BBtJ.Org > Click Here for links to supporters who asked to be listed Advertisements: BBtJ.Org does not control the content of the following ads, please use at your own discretion 
If you come back to click here first every time you shop Amazon, it would be much appreciated. It won't cost you any more, but BBtJ.org's finances would benefit. Thanks for your support
|