We just announced our 2018 Bible reading challenge, which lasts but a wimpy 90 days. How tough would you be if you kept going and read nothing but the Bible for an entire year?
You might be something like this guy. Jacob Via felt convicted because he spent loads more time in books about the Bible than in the Bible itself. So he declared a 12-month fast from all the other books to make time to feast on living bread.
Via’s blog post describes what exactly he did and how he did it. But my favorite part is his list of takeaways. Everything on that list is something you could find in a journal article or book on hermeneutics. But how many of those things drive your daily decisions? How many of them have so mastered your thought-life and your faith that they are your first reaction to suffering or unexpected circumstances? How many of us could say that “godliness is of value in every way” (1 Tim 4:8), such that we rest secure and confident in the truth of what was once spoken by the Majesty on high for the ages?
In other words, while these takeaways might be things you know, have they ever been things you’ve experienced?
Via’s conclusion:
Let me encourage you to spend a year in the Word. Read it a lot. Read large sections at a time. Don’t worry about the parts you don’t understand. Just keep reading, and it will become clearer and clearer. Allow Scripture to interpret scripture. It’s more than a good book. It’s more than a roadmap to life. It’s life-giving. It’s living and active. As you read it, it begins to read you. Rediscover the Father’s heart. Rediscover the movement Jesus started. Allow it to transform who you are. And allow it to direct what you do tomorrow.
Via’s blog post might not be the most polished or deeply-researched thing you’ve ever read. But don’t let that prevent you from seeing how spectacular it is.
HT: Andy Cimbala
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