Daily Bread

Think about your life for a second what are some things you absolutely need in order to survive.

The first thing that always comes to my mind is food, without food it would impossible for us to survive. In fact, research has proven that the human body can only survive a week without food and water. Our body needs that daily sustenance in order for it to stay healthy, grow and survive. The same could be said of our spiritual health, just as our physical body needs daily nourishment in order to survive our soul needs daily connection with God in order for us to grow spiritually and remain strong in our faith. Whether it be through prayer, worship or spending time in Scripture, Christ should always be part of our daily life.

Spending time in Scripture is vital to our spiritual growth and walk with God. As a Christian and follower of Christ, the Bible is the most important physical item we have that will ultimately help us grow and mature not only in our faith but in all aspects of our life. The more time we chose to spend in the Word the more we begin to live out Scripture and apply these truths in our personal lives. There’s no greater instruction manual, history book or story ever written than the words taken from the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that even very words of the Bible were given to us by God: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Bible wouldn’t exist today if it wasn’t for the power of God, He gave us this incredible book in order for us grow as believers and be encouraged by the faith of those who have come before us. How is then that we still spend so little time reading God’s Word? How can we allow our Bible to collect dust then go on complaining about our lives falling apart when the answer to every struggle we face is written in that very book. No matter what situation you’re facing today the Bible holds all the answers you’re looking for.

Psalm 119:105 reminds us that “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

It’s time we stopped looking in all the wrong places for answers and picked up that Bible that’s been collecting dust and looked to God for hope and direction in our life.

Today official marks the beginning of a brand new year and for me personally it is the beginning of my 4th consecutive year of reading the Bible all the way through. While this may not seem like quite the feat to some, it’s a big deal to me, I know I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this without God and His constant work in my life. If you know me at all you know that reading isn’t my strong suit but a while back.. about three years ago, I was convicted by a thought. Let me premise this thought by saying that I fully understand God has left us no specific check list of things we are to accomplish before one day joining Him in Heaven but that doesn’t change the fact that I was still convicted by this thought: “How can I meet Jesus one day and never have read the only book he left behind for us.” It was this thought that rattled in my head for the longest time. Personally, I would feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed to meet the Creator of heaven and earth, my Savior and King, and not have read His own very words that He breathed into existence. That conviction gave me the push that I needed to start my journey in reading through the Bible. This journey initially started off as a simple goal but as time went on I began to truly see the importance of daily Bible reading and how drastically the perspective of my days shifted when I included God.

I wish I could say that I have been faithful in reading my Bible every day, and while I have read the entire Bible completely each year there were most certainly days that I failed to read the Bible and had to stack up a few days but just because you forgot to read the Bible a day or two doesn’t mean God is disappointed in you, it just means that you have more reading to do the following days and more room to learn.

You’re probably thinking to yourself that reading the Bible on a daily basis and all the way through the year sounds like a great concept but I simply don’t have the time. Time is interesting isn’t, we are all privileged with the same 24 hours each day yet sometimes it seems like others have more time than we do but the truth is you spend your time on things that you value. If you value work, books, TV, video games, scrolling through social media then you’re making the choice to spend your time in those areas. The only way you’ll find more time to spend in the Word is if you make that time a priority. I will say, in my own personal Bible reading journey, there was a time at the beginning where I felt the same way but I learned that as I set aside time to be focused on God’s Word that I kept finding more and more time available in my day; it’s hard to explain, but the more time I gave to God the better I became at managing that time.

We are all humans, we all have things going on, most of you have families, some are in school while others might have jobs that take up large amounts of your time, but no matter who you are or what you have going on you will always have the time to make it work. From my personal experience the best time for me is to start my day in the Word, going through scripture and spending time drawing closer to God through prayer earlier on in my day is just what my soul needs. This is what I’ve discovered works best for me but this could look different for you. Regardless, a schedule is helpful in setting time aside to focus on that relationship with God, even if something changes the beauty of this relationship is God doesn’t care where you are or what you have going on He’s just excited about spending that time together. Truth be told there were multiple days where I was busy or out of town and had to spend that time on a plane or in the car or at a coffee shop. No matter where or when you choose to spend that time the only thing that matters is that you’re faithfully setting aside time to focus on God and growing stronger in your relationship with Him.

If you feel like joining me in making a personal commitment to reading God’s Word through the year on a daily basis then allow me to help you. Besides having a schedule, it is equally as important to have a plan especially if your goal is to read the Bible in a year. Personally, I have found that reading through the Old Testament and New Testament daily has been the most edifying and enjoyable experience. This journey allows you to understand the history of the Old Testament while studying the life of Christ and gaining knowledge from the perspective of the New Testament. There are a variety of plans out there, ranging from the length of time it takes to read through the Bible, focusing solely on either the New or Old Testament, or reading in Chronological order. The plan and direction you choose is completely up to you. That being said, for this year in particular, I will be following and sharing a plan with you daily on Instagram Stories that will help you read the entire Bible in a year as we go through the Old Testament and New Testament. For example, today we will start off by reading a few chapters in Genesis and a chapter in Matthew.

To those who are new to reading the Bible you’re probably sitting here a little confused on where to begin. Well, the best place to start would be to getting yourself a Bible. I know to some that might not be easy but thankfully we live in a day and age where the Bible is readily available to all and easily accessible via the world wide web. I highly recommend having a physical Bible as it’s great for highlighting your favorite passage of scripture and keeping important detailed notes but for the sake of this particular reading exercise having an app can be very helpful in reading the Bible all the way through. There are many great choices out there, for the past few years I’ve personally used Olive Tree’s Bible Study app which has been amazing at keeping track of where I’m at in my Bible reading while taking me from one reading to the next with ease but for this particular goal we are going to use the YouVersion Bible app. From there we will be following a Plan titled “Read Through the Bible.” Once this plan is selected it will give you the option to start reading the chapter requirements for the day and as you continue reading the app will guide you onto the next portion, after you have finished the app will let you know once you have completed the required reading for the day. This is the plan I have personally chosen to follow and share throughout this new year and I’m hoping you will join me on this journey.

One piece of recommendation I’d like to make is don’t just read the Bible for the sake of completing a task or goal but use this time to focus on the words and allow God to open His Word to you so that you can understand Him better and grow stronger in your relationship with Him.

For those who have read through the Bible multiple times or find themselves in the same unfortunate spot as I have found myself this next portion is for you. I wish I could say that I have taken my words and applied them to my own life but this last year has proved otherwise. While I did read the Bible all the way through I, unfortunately, spent most of that time reading to check off a list rather than truly focusing on God’s Word and allowing myself to be edified by those words. Reading the Bible shouldn’t be about checking an item off a list but allowing the words of God to make a difference in your life.

James 1:22 explains it perfectly “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

I let myself get distracted and became stagnant in my faith. I was merely reading to complete a goal and not living in the Word. This passage helped remind me that we are to be doers of the Word, we are to be the kind of believer that doesn’t simply read the Bible but applies what they have read and has a desire to share and grow from what we’ve learned. So this next challenge is one that I have given myself this coming year and also to those who would also like to join me and apply this challenge in their own personal walk with God. In the process of daily reading I am going to challenge myself to write and share one thing I have learned from my Bible reading that week. As I read through God’s word I want to take in as much as I can and allow Gods words to change me and in doing so I want to share what I have learned. As you may have noticed the sharing has been far and few in between as of late therefor I’m praying God allows me to use this challenge to help mend this fracture in my faith and give me the strength necessary to share what God continues to lay on my heart.

Whether this is your first time reading through the Bible or you’ve done it a million times before, there’s nothing more important than your relationship with God. Reading the Bible, fellowshipping with other believers, worshiping God and spending time with Him in prayer is vital to your spiritual health. When you give God that time and open your schedule to the things He has for you He is able to do extraordinary things with your life. Don’t be careless with your time, we all have 24hrs in a day and 365 days in a year, don’t let those precious moments go to waste. Obviously we can’t spend every moment of our time with God but we can be better about making him a part of those moments. Don’t shut him out but rather find time to draw closer to Him. Don’t just be a hearer of the Word but be a doer, apply what you’ve learned, “Study to show thyself approved” as 2 Timothy 2:15 so eloquently states and “Hide God’s word in your heart.” as Psalm 119:11 reminds us.

There’s a reason the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 starts off with “Give us this day our Daily Bread” it’s because our God knows how crucial it is to our faith and testimony as believers to be filled with the Word on a daily basis. What better way to take care of our spiritual health than by choosing to spend time with God. I hope today you will make the decision, not for me but for you and your relationship with God, to draw closer to Him by being daily in His Word. If reading the Bible in a year is too challenging for you, I urge you to find a plan and schedule that works for you, it’s important to your relationship with God that you find and make the time to be in daily communication with Him and that through that time you draw closer to Him. Don’t make the same mistakes I have this last year, don’t just be a hearer of the Word but be a doer, hide the Word of God in your heart and allow His words to change you and make a difference in your life. I’m thankful that our God is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness and even when we make mistakes and drift off He’s still right there waiting for us to turn back to Him. Don’t let distractions occupy your time but rather make the decision to draw closer to Him. There’s no greater time spent then the time you spend with God.