For the second year in a row, our congregation is working on a
challenge to read the Bible from cover to cover during one calendar year. That comes
out to 82 verses, or three and a quarter chapters per day.
It’s quite doable and it has many benefits. I encourage you to join us
in this challenge.
The first benefit is that it will dispel the myth that the Bible is
just too big and too complicated for the average person to tackle. Anyone—and I
mean anyone—who starts reading the Bible at page one soon learns that it is
very straightforward.
Most of the Bible simply describes events that happened during the
history of the world. It is not written in cryptic code but in historical
narrative.
The Bible is only confusing when false teachers cherry-pick a passage
from here and a passage from there and artificially connect them together into
something that the Bible never says.
When you read the Bible cover to cover, don’t try to read between the
lines. Just see for yourself how its stories connect naturally. Adam’s story
flows into Abraham’s story. And Abraham’s flows into Moses’ story and Moses’
story flows into Jesus’ story.
Read it on its own terms and you will soon become familiar with the
story of the human family, created and sustained by God. As you are reading
these historical events, you will see how God is deeply involved in very ordinary
lives.
Sometimes His involvement is a miraculous deliverance from an
impossible situation. Sometimes it is a frightening judgment on those who thumb
their noses at Him.
The blessings—like bumper crops, victory in battle, and restoration of
broken relationships—may seem like pure luck in the non-biblical world. But the
Bible makes clear that all of them are God’s direct fulfillment of His
promises.
Likewise, judgments—like famine, military disaster, and the fall of
entire nations—are not random, but are directly connected to the people’s sins
and rebellion.
Taken together, both sorts of stories are written so that you would
take God ever more seriously. “Now these things happened
to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1
Corinthians 10:11).
When you read of God’s terrible punishments, you are stirred to repent.
And when you read of God’s miraculous deliverances, you are emboldened to trust
His promises without fearing that He will let you down.
That’s the second main benefit of Bible reading. If you approach it
like an empty fairy tale, you will be bored. But when you remember that these
things really happened, you will be moved to repentance and faith.
Repentance is when you take your sins seriously and are no longer
content to cave in to every temptation that you feel. Faith is when you are no
longer afraid of what others can do to you but you trust that God’s promises to
care and provide for you are true.
And that brings us to Lent.
Lent is a time of renewal because Lent is a season that invites us to
take God more seriously today than we did yesterday. Lent is not about giving
up chocolate or some such thing. Lent is really about a renewal of life that is
born of repentance.
Fasting can be helpful. But if you really want renewal, go to God’s
Word. It will do more for you than anything that you can do for yourself.
Reading the Bible for yourself will reduce your intimidation over Bible
reading and fortify you against some of the false teaching that Satan will
throw your way. Reading the Bible will give you reasons to fear, love and trust
in God more than anything. Also, reading the Bible will teach you to gather
with fellow believers in weekly worship.
When you take God’s involvement in your life seriously, the blessing
you find by gathering with other believers will crown your Lenten repentance
with renewal and Easter joy. God promises it.