Reading God's Word Daily

So, Pastor Randy encouraged us to read through the Bible again! :) Of course we all knew he would do that. This year though, he added to our choices many other reading plans.

I've chosen another reading plan...since the goal is to read the entire Bible in a year (or just the old or just the new testament) I thought this plan looked interesting and it was recommended by a friend.

Here it is: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12349985/Professor-Grant-Horners-Bible-Reading-System

I like it so far. I am looking forward to reading God's word in a way to help me remember it better and this seems to be doing it.

Seasons

Ephesians 4:20 (The Message)

^20-24But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

I just love new starts: new calendar pages, new notebooks, new flower beds waiting for color, new grade books. They give me a sense that the old has gone and now I can start over, better this time.

I like this verse and the way it is written in this version. I like how God has gotten rid of the old, rotten ugly parts of my life and made them new...I just need to live that way.

Seasons remind me of living fresh and new. I get into habits, some good and some bad, but seasons shake up those habits and force me to live differently.

Seasons in life remind me that as a door shuts another opens and with it the possibility of newness!

Oh, may I be a woman who embraces my new life in Christ and lives in that newness...forgetting the past and pressing on to the future!

I'm Done!

I'm done! Finished! Whew! There were times I thought I'd never make it! But here I am this morning saying, "when can I start again?"

My pastor encouraged us (the congregation) to systematically read through the Bible in a year. We'd do it as a group!

Now don't get me wrong, I read every, well, most days. But I had no way of keeping track. Oh, and I've tried these reading plans before. Being a great procrastinator I always start out great, then have times of catching up, just to complete the task sometime after the "due date".

I signed up as soon as the list came out and picked up my check list. I must confess that I "jumped the gun". It was definitely a false start....but I didn't care I just kept going. I knew that if I let the momentum die I wouldn't finish. So every month I race the month to finish early. I figured that if I tried to finish early every month the worst that could happen is that I would finish on time.

It was awesome!

But more awesome than completing the test is the craving I have to read God's word and apply it to my life. It was there before, but then it would fade when other things came in and before long it was a day or two that I was hardly reading anything. This year was different though. I always read a "chunk" of scripture. Enough to keep me thinking and praying during the day.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't remember everything that I read. But then again I don't remember all my meals this past year. All I know (and the scale confirms this! :) ) that I've been well fed this past year: physically and spiritually.

Go ahead! Take the challenge! Get some friends to do it together...and read through the Bible! It'll change your life!

I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: (2 Timothy 4:7)