Reading the Bible

Each year we try to challenge our church members to read through the Bible. We give them Bible reading plans from Discipleship Journal to choose from; one is just the New Testament, another begins in Genesis and ends with Revelation, and another spreads the reading across four sections of the Bible at the same time.

The first time I read through the Bible was circa 1975. I mean, I had read enough of the Bible to “figure” that I had read all of it before, but not systematically. I was working on a Service Call Desk, every third night, awake all night I had lots of time to read after midnight. One of the TV programs that came on one night was a Billy Graham Crusade, with an offer for a free copy of Kenneth Taylor’s Living Bible. All you had to do was to write for one, and the BGEA would send it to you (they still do this with books, their offers are on their website www.bgea.org). So, I sent in for a copy of this new version of the Bible.

When I got my copy, I took it to work with me and I began reading. I would put a dot by the chapter numbers as I read that chapter. At first I just read a chapter or two. Then I branched out and I read from different portions across the genres of the Bible: Law, Poetry, History, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels & Acts, Epistles, and Apocalyptic. As the astute bible students will know, some of these overlap. Some of the Prophets overlap with Revelation, e.g. I was soon reading ten chapters at a setting. Then I found that I could not read enough at a setting, and I was reading many chapters at a time. I soon found that I was re-reading chapters that I had read before; the chapter dots, you know.

Then I found that some of the things I was reading in Matthew 24 corresponded with what I was reading in Revelation and Ezekiel and Daniel. Jesus and Paul quoted a LOT from the Psalms.

This year, we again challenged our church to read through the Bible. We gave them the same reading plans as before. As happened in years before, almost all of the copies were take home by the people. I suppose they are reading from them.

As part of my Bible reading plan, I found my NASB on CDs set. Then I ripped the NT to the hard drive on my laptop so I can listen to them anywhere without lugging the two pound pack of CDs in addition to my laptop. The CDs are fine if one listens to them while driving, but one more thing to take in/out like luggage is problematic. I am now listening to the Bible, even as I write. I am preaching a sermon series from the Gospel of Mark, and so I am listening to Mark on my laptop!

How are you “reading” the Bible? Which translation are you using? I know of some websites that will “read” the Bible to you on-line (a highspeed connection strongly recommended), one is www.blueletterbible.com. Christian Book Distributors has a good selection of Bibles on CD collections, if you want something like this. Will you take the challenge? Will you read the Bible through?