10 Reasons to Read Your (Whole) Bible This Year

Late next week I will be involved in a one day conference that will challenge people to read through the Bible. This is not designed to be a burden; it is not forcing one person’s piety on another. It is to capture the imagination. “What difference would reading through the whole Bible in a year make?”

Check out the following 10 reasons for doing so.

DOABLE

Reading through all of the Bible in a year is absolutely doable. It is not as massive of an undertaking as you might think. There are all sorts of Bible reading plans out there. You can find different Bible in a Year editions in print. You can even use an audio version; that’s not cheating. When all is said and done, it takes about 20 minutes a day.

TREASURE TROVE

There is a lot of good stuff in the Bible. Great stories. Fascinating characters. History. Poetry. Wisdom. Life hacks. Imagine having a treasure chest filled with all sorts of good things and never opening it. That wouldn’t make any sense.

COMBAT WORLD’S WORDS

Every day we are bombarded by the words of the world and its spokesmen: celebrities, news media, movies, novels, teachers, politicians. The world’s words are not neutral; they are powerful. Bible reading will help you come against what the world has to say; it will help neutralize that voice. And at the very least, time spent in the God’s word is time not spent in the world’s. Even shutting off the world for 20 minutes or so a day will help.

FORGETFULNESS

The mind is interesting—how it works, what it holds, what it forgets. The ancients taught that repetition is the mother of learning. Repetition moves things from short term memory into long term memory. Even if you remember much of the Bible, there are parts you have forgotten.

TIP OF THE TONGUE

As you know, God has a sense of humor and his timing is impeccable. You will be amazed how often something you read “just this morning” is right at the tip of your tongue to share with someone later that day.

HUMILITY

There is a lot you will not understand, passages you “won’t get”. That’s a positive not a negative—although it may be perplexing. Reading through the Bible will impress upon you how great, grand and awesome God is, even beyond your thoughts. That will keep you humble before him, which is a good place to be.

HONOR THE MARTYRS

Think of all the people who have died to preserve the availability of the Bible world-wide.

POWER UP

Remember how we used to say, “Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me?” That wasn’t true then, and it’s not true now. Words are powerful. Powerful to hurt. Powerful to heal. If our words have power, how much more so the Bible and all the words of God therein. The word of God is eternal. It is true. It is powerful.

DIVINE INVITATION

Ever been invited to a great party or a great event? Who would want to turn down such an invitation? Think of the invitation Jesus has for us. “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Jesus invites you to truth and freedom in the word.

MEET JESUS

Ultimately, to be in the Bible is to be in Jesus. Or to say it this way, Jesus is really present in the word. It is Christocentric. Reading through the Bible in a year, and then every year thereafter, will not make you a Pharisee. It will do more than fill you with religious information. It will build you up in a personal relationship with Jesus. As a friend said, “To have a passion for the word is to have a passion for Jesus because that’s where we meet him.”

So all of this is on my mind because of an upcoming conference. Now I hope it’s on yours. This has changed peoples lives. It could change yours.