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As I warned in yesterday's post, don't let daily devotionals be the only Bible study you do. That's not Bible study. You can't grow in the knowledge of God's Word through devotionals. That would be like trying to maintain a healthy diet on only eating candy. It's tastes good, but it won't sustain you.
We have to be people who read God's Word daily. One way to accomplish that is by reading through the Bible in a year. When picking up a Bible it can be intimidating and you start thinking, I can't read that entire book. Yes you can, and taking it one day at a time is a great way to accomplish it. Pick the translation of the Bible you enjoy and follow a reading plan. You can find them on the Bible app, inside some Bibles, or your church may have a year-long Bible schedule to follow. Determine right now that starting tomorrow, New Year's Day, you are going to start reading the Bible daily. If you miss a day, make it up the next day. This is too important not to do.
I've read through the Bible a number of times using different reading schedules and Bible translations. If you have already read through the Bible, do it again. Try reading it chronologically. I enjoyed that. I think it's important to read through the Bible using different translations. I've never read through the entire Bible using the NASB translation. Martha bought me the NASB MacArthur Study Bible for my birthday, so I'm going to read through it in 2024 using the reading schedule it provides.
If you don't have a study Bible, I encourage you to buy one. It's more than worth the investment. I look forward to digging into my new NASB study Bible. I really enjoy the ESV Study Bible. I love the ESV translation, and it has copious study notes, articles, and resources. I highly suggest that one. When you open God's Word, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is our Teacher.
With a study Bible, I encourage you to take time and slow down and study the Bible. Pick a topic like grace, mercy, forgiveness, the Messiah, Holy Spirit, covenants, etc., and start looking up what scriptures say about each topic. Get a Bible commentary if you don't have one. There are many good ones out there such as the MacArthur Bible Commentary, Believer's Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry Bible Commentary, and more.
A great study to do is the Book of Psalms, and a great way to read and study it is reading five chapters a day corresponding with the day's date. For example, on Jan. 1, read Psalms 1 then skip 30 books to Psalms 31, then skip 30 more and read Psalms 61, then Psalms 91, and then Psalms 121. The next day start with chapter 2, then 32, 62, 92, 122, and so on throughout the month. On Jan. 31, you could spend more time in Psalms 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible.
Taking time to read and study the Psalter is a great way to learn the heart of God and better understand the Old and New Testaments in one book. Martin Luther once said, "The Psalms are a Little Bible, wherein everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended." John Wesley said, "The Psalms is a summary of both testaments."
To strengthen your prayer life, as you read Psalms, pray them. You will be praying many of the prayers Jesus prayed and you will be learning how to pray the Word.
Dietrick Bonhoeffer said, "The Psalter is the prayer book of Jesus Christ in the truest sense of the word. He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all all time ... we understand how the Psalter can be prayer to God and yet God's own Word, precisely because here we encounter the praying Christ ... because those who pray the Psalms are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ, their prayer reaches the ears of God. Christ has become their intercessor."
Take 30 minutes a day to read God's Word and pray and work your way to one hour. I can hear some of you now, "Ken, I don't have that much time." Really? You have time to watch TV. What's more important? A TV show or God's Word and your relationship with your Creator?
Find a time each day that works best for you. Mine is early in the morning before my day starts. I begin with devotionals and then prayer and reading God's Word. At other times of the week I will take time to study the Bible to see what God is saying about different topics and issues.
We aren't done. Be sure to check out tomorrow's blog for more tips and advice for growing in God's Word in 2024. If you have questions, please email me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com.
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