Reading the Bible in 2011

I was very pleased with the response to my post yesterday concerning the setting of goals. I hope to have encouraged you to take some time and prayerfully consider what you would like to accomplish in various areas, including your spiritual life and growth next year. I hope that you will write them down, keep them close, and take them out periodically during a devotion and see how you are doing. 


Develop a means to monitor your goals by examining whether you are completing the steps in order to achieve your goals.


One goal that many people set, as The Old Geezer did, is to determine to read the bible through in a year. As I was responding to his comment and his permission to help hold him accountability the following information flowed into my email to him. As I typed this and re-read it I thought it would be a good blog.


I realize goal setting is just that - setting some markers of what I would like to accomplish in various areas during the coming year. I also admit that I haven't been successful in every area by keeping every goal. However,I find if I don't set any goals then I have a tendency to be reactive rather than proactive. I want you to be proactive in your spiritual development. I don't want you as Paul told the Ephesians, "...so that you are no longer children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." My heart's desire and prayer for you is that you are, "...to mature manhood, speaking the truth in love,...grow up in every way into him..." Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)

I applaud those who set a goal to be faithful to read the entire bible each year. I think when it comes to scripture there are at least seven (7) areas that we need to be faithful in. In order to be faithful in these areas it takes discipline, planning or goal setting, monitoring, and yes accountability. We need to:

read the scripture - this builds familiarity and reminds us of various principles to live by each day

study the scripture - this is different than reading; here we take great pain and effort to study a doctrine, a book, a biblical character, Christ, etc.

meditate on scripture - this is where we talk it back to ourselves and reflect on its meaning through recitation, repetition, rehearsing, and realizing its meaning and application. This is helpful when we are having a hard time with a passage, understanding its meaning or seeking its application

memorize scripture - we need to regularly hide the word of God in our heart in order not sin against God, to have as a tool to ward off temptation and sin, to encourage fellow believers, to edify believers, to confront believers, to rebuke believes, and to evangelize the lost. I recommend you memorize one verse per week, or 52 a year.

obey the scripture - we read, study, meditate, and memorize in order to be obedient to the truths and principles of God's word. I know you know this but many times we look in the mirror and take no action and thereby we leave the house with breakfast on our shirt, hair uncombed, spinach in our teeth etc. We need to be doers and not just hearers.

share the scripture - this is related to our memorization, but we truly need to share what we have learned. We do not want to be Dead Sea Christians where water runs into the sea but never leaves the sea.

pray through the scripture - prayerfully read your passage, stopping to ask God through His Holy Spirit your teacher what that verse or paragraph meant and how does God want you to apply it to your life.

So, again I applaud you in setting a goal to read the scriptures through in 2011. 

First of all -  do not use a reading plan!!!!!!! Unless you are absolutely different than any of us you will slip into the legalistic habit of trying to read in order to check off the box, or color in the square. In other words reading plans lead you to miss the meaning of scripture because you are trying to catch up and complete the days reading.

Second - God will not love you any more or any less if you read everyday. You won't have a better day or a worse day if you miss a day in your reading. Please do not get on the "performance treadmill."

Third - reading here and there, piece-meal will not allow you to fully meditate on the context and find its meaning and application for our life. You need to read in context.

So what do you do?

Take a 3 x 5 or a 5 x8 card and write all sixty six books of the bible on it. Then each time you come to read, each day, read 3 or 4 chapters of a book of the bible you want to read. That is about 12-20 minutes for the average person. 

Read that book each day until it is completed. Then check off or cross off that book on your index card as completed. The goal isn't to read a certain section, or a certain number of passages, the goal is to read all sixty six books before December 31, 2011.


You get to pick and choose where you read. On one occasion you may feel like reveling in the Psalms or another time you may feel like tackling a doctrinal book like Romans. Just once you have read a book completely, cross it off the index card.

Enjoy scripture don't endure it.

What goals have you set to read the bible through in 2011? What plans have you used and what worked for you? Why? What would you recommend to others concerning reading the bible through?



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Happy 77th Birthday to my Mother, Evelyn L. Metcalf, in Modesto, CA. I love you Mom!