A Year in the Word

The Word of God contains not only words directly from the Lord, but those words contain power, wisdom, and direction for us.  Jesus is the Word made flesh, and we become more alive because of
the living Word. Hebrews 4 states:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

The Bible teaches that when we are weak, He is strong - and He manifests His strength through our interaction with His Word.  The Bible can change our thinking, which can result in right living, in devoted obedience to our Heavenly Father.  And, we can conform the words we speak to the teachings of the Word of God, so that our confession is consistent with the work of God in our hearts.  We become more like Jesus as we experience Him through Scripture.

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We can be inspired to make God's Word more of a part of our lives by these verses in the 119th
Psalm:
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!

In Spring Hill, Tennessee, a Southern Baptist pastor challenged his congregation members to read the Bible through in one year in 2020.  Over 560 people got on board, and the lady who wanted to be first in line had done it before - 60 other times!!

According to the state's Baptist and Reflector newspaper, it's 99-year-old Helen Tyler, who hits the century mark in March. Pastor Jay Strother of the Church at Station Hill, an extension of Brentwood Baptist Church, had a conversation with "Miss Helen."  The article says:

Strother asked her, “Miss Helen, why do you still do it?” She replied, “God shows me something new every time.”

“She said you’d think I’ve heard these stories, but every time I read it or hear it being read, I catch something new,” Strother recalled her saying. It’s a reminder, he noted, that God’s Word “intersects our lives” in different seasons and in different ways with the timelessness of Scripture.

Helen's first time to read the Bible through was in response to a campaign called, "Read the Bible through in '42," when her husband was a pastor in Vermont during their first year of marriage and they were living out of what came in to the offering plate.

Pastor Strother noted to the congregation: “My how times have changed...But God’s Word hasn’t.”

One thing has changed about the way Miss Helen goes through God's Word: because of failing eyesight, she now listens to the Word as it is read.   The article continues:

“I love that resolve to find a way to get the Word of God into your heart and into your life again and again,” Strother said.

“Just like she learns something new every time she reads it,” he shared with his congregation, “we learn something new every time we come to it.

Reading the Bible through in a year can seem to be a daunting task, but the pastor, according to the article...

...doesn’t buy the argument that people are too busy to read the Bible through in a year. He described it coming down to a “matter of priority.” In one week, he said, “the average American now consumes 35.7 hours of televised content.”

He went on to say: “You could read the entire Bible through out loud in about 72 hours,” adding, “So in just a little more in the time that people usually watch TV – the typical American in two weeks – you could read the Bible through.”

Strother said, “I love the idea that our senior saints can lead the way in setting that example for us..."  Rather than separate the seniors in a congregation, we should strive to integrate them, so younger individuals and families can draw on their wisdom.

We can remember that God's Word continues to speak - it's more than words on a page, it is the living Word that is meant to be taken into our hearts.  It is amazing that words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit thousands of years ago apply to the situations we face now.  His truths have been described as "timeless," and I agree.

So, we have to get more of the Word in our hearts.  We can make time with God a priority and set Bible reading and study goals.  And, while we can read for quantity, regarding reading through the Bible in a year, it's also important that we allow the verses we read to speak to us and allow the Holy Spirit to show us how the Scripture we read can become a practical reality for us.

There are all sorts of Bible reading programs - some are chronological, others are linear.  You have Bible reading plans, such as the one I'm using this year, that takes sections from various books of the Bible each day - Old Testament and New Testament, including a reading from the Psalms.  And, there are Bibles and Bible-related resources that actually have a Bible reading plan that is integrated.  You also have the Faith Radio App that has a Bible, an audio Bible so that you can listen to the Scriptures, and a Bible reading plan that you can use.