Uncharted Territory

So I have entered uncharted territory this week. I am now 26 years old, and I don't think I have ever gone 7 consecutive days in a row of reading my bible. There, I confessed it...I actually feel a little better.

Seriously though - I claim to follow God's word on a regular basis - yet I don't read God's word on a regular basis. How can this be? Well, this week I set out to read my Bible every day for seven consecutive days. I started Sunday night when I went to bed - and I am hoping I can get through Saturday night, reading each day.

I opened up the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament to begin my reading this week. I was listening to the radio last week and I heard bits and peices of a sermon from the book of Nehemiah - and so it intrigued me to read the whole book. Not uber enthusiastic stuff - but God is working through it.

I know in the past I've encouraged people who were going through rough times to read through the bible. They always look at me like "what?" or "what should I read in the bible." Truth be told, its difficult - where do you start. Seems like I've been starting in the beginning for years and I never quite make it through to the end. I'm learning that it doesn't matter where you read. My buddy Ken tells me to read through the bible slowly - and try to truly understand and absorb what you are reading. I think for me - this works. If I can read through a passage slowly, and maybe even multiple times - I can absorb it. And although it may not seem to have relativity in my life at the current time - God always works through what I read - whether it be the next day, a week later or a month later. Kinda makes you realize the importance of memorizing all of those memory verses as an elementary school student huh?

Thats it, I'm reading the bible for 7 days straight this week. I might stop after 7 days, or I might continue. Pastor James McDonald layed out a pretty good challenge for his listeners - the 3 D's of reading the bible. He promises that if you can read the bible for 120 days straight you will experience the following -

Discipline - the first 40 days will be work - and it may not seem fun.
Delight - the next 40 days will be easier - and you will delight in reading the bible.
Desire - the final 40 days, you will be reading the bible out of a desire to grow.

Grace & Peace,
-J