not checking off the Bible in 2009

As has been my custom for the past several years I am embarking on a quest to read through the entire Bible in this calendar year. After a successful 2005 I vowed to continue to practice this discipline yearly, the goal being to do so as long as I walk the earth. A pretty intense goal, yes, but hey - it's got all the marks of a "good" goal. It seemed attainable (I had just completed it, why not continue!), it had a set duration (every single year of my life!) and I knew in a good way it would stretch me and my commitment to the word of God.

Since 2005 I'm Oh-for-3.

So, batting .250 and still swinging away, I'm starting again on the Discipleship Journal one-year reading plan.

Over the course of my attempts at this in the past, there have been stretches of great insight and depth and worship and adoration of the God who gave us His very word, and there have been times (often, I confess) of quick reading and checking off a line on a list. There have been times of satisfaction from feasting on the Bread of Life; there have also been times of the momentary satsifaction of seeing all (or many, or some) of the little boxes checked off.

What have I learned? I've learned that despite all that, I still believe that reading through the Bible regularly is a good discipline, one that is honoring to God and one that is fruitful for the reader. I've learned that I don't need to stop a good practice because my motives aren't always right, but instead I need to seek God's face in repentance over bad motives and pray for the grace to move forward with godly motives.

And from the good times I've learned that reading God's word prayerfully and thoughtfully is a feast for the soul.

So I'm moving forward again this year, not to check off the Bible as if it were merely "empty words," but to see it as my "very life." (Deut 32:47)

How do we read the Word of God in this way? How do we do this when, for example, we're reading four chapters of Leviticus, a Psalm, and a handful of verses from a Gospel and the book of Acts? Let me offer a few humble suggestions from my limited experience.

First, read the Bible with questions in mind. Questions I like to ask the text (even Leviticus!) are like this: "How does this passage point me to Christ and the gospel?" "What trait would God have me 'put off' and what would He have me 'put on' as revealed in this passage?" (See Eph 4:20-24) I cannot express how helpful this has been to me while reading longer passages of scripture. Instead of a story about a man, his boat and a huge flood, I'm seeing how seriously God takes sin, how intent He is in punishing it and how He graciously gives salvation to His people. I'm seeing how Christ is the ark by which we are saved from the penalty for sin.

Second, read the Bible while remaining in a spirit of prayer. Talk with God about the text through which He is talking to you! Jude writes, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith [which is what we do reading the word of God] and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 20-21). I am not perfect at this, nor is there some magic spell that if we speak it will automatically bring us rich and full times of reflection every time we open the Bible. But we come to the Bible to meet with God, and we are dependent on God for that. Ask Him for it, interact with God over His word to you and pray continually, keeping yourself in an attitude of humble submission.

Third, and finally, actively remember that these are words of God for the glory of God. The bible is the very word of God - the same God who created everything (everything!) we see, taste, touch and feel (and more!) by His very word! I say "actively remember" because remembering this does not come without concious effort. But remember it we must. His words are powerful, they are life-giving, they reveal the God who called you, saved you, adopted you and loves you.
And His word does this for the sake of His name and for His glory. The word of God is not primarily "a roadmap for life." It is primarily the revelation of God in order that His people might know Him, love him and be transformed into His image "from one degree of glory to another." (2 Cor 3:18)

So, let us read the word. Let us ask questions and engage the text prayerfully and with humility. "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life..."