“Statistics show that most people professing faith in Christ have never completely read their Bible. Many people start reading but then become overwhelmed by the number of chapters (1,189) and verses (31,102) there are. What we don’t realize is that it can be accomplished by reading fewer than four chapters a day!

By dividing the Bible into 365 daily readings, your goal of reading the Bible in a year can easily be accomplished. Here in Bible Study Tools, not only can you come and read on a daily basis, but we can help you chart your progress online over the following 365 days. That means you don’t have to wait till the New Year?you can start today!”

I have been feeling extremely contemplative about the Bible the last week or so – if that makes sense. I had a small, but convicting discussion with a friend – where we chatted about how excited people get about any book they have enjoyed, EXCEPT the Bible. Why does no one rave about their reading in Isaiah?

I have been thinking about why I know that if it were “the only book I could bring on a deserted island” (we’ve all played that game, right?) it would be the Bible. And yet, why am I not delighting in it everyday?

I have to be honest – I have gobbled up four books in the last two weeks – all good books, all “spiritual” books, but I still have not finished 1 Corinthians that I started late last week. Why is that? I love it once I am in to it, why do I put it off? I think there are a few reasons; I suppose these are personal reasons – maybe you can think of more.

1. It’s going to convict.
One of the things I struggle with, in my own personality, is the willingness to deceive myself, to not have to deal with things. I layer my problems, and my feelings, and my thoughts, sometimes intentionally, in order to be less accountable to myself. Which is, of course, being deceived by Satan – because God knows even our motives, and I will be held accountable for even this on the last day. But the point is – the Bible is the only book that demands change. I can be convicted by other books on pride, or marriage, or being a friend – but can ultimately dismiss anything I don’t like as the author’s opinion. Once I open up the Bible, I sense change coming… and I resist. I could get in to why the pleasures of God would be greater than all the things I substitute in its place – but I’ll save that for another blog. Or refer you to one of my first – it’s all about mud puddles. Suffice it to say – the Lord wants to change us, to conform us to the image of His Son – and we know what that looks like when we open up the Bible – not other books.

2. Our approach.
What other book do we approach with a bare-minimum mentality? Seriously – the quote on the top of this page essentially says – “here’s how you can read the LEAST amount possible, and still get through the Bible in a year.” What kind of benchmark is that? What other book have you read, where the goal is to take a year to get through it? And yet – we have it in our heads that the Bible is meant to be enjoyed at 15 minute intervals once a day, every day. We want to space out our readings. And, I think the problem with this is it just joins our checklist of to-dos. Washed dishes? Check. Did a load of laundry? Check. Made the beds? Check. Read my daily reading of the Bible? Check. We don’t go to it because we delight in it, we go to it because we should go to it. And we all know that the results of doing things because we ought to are very different than doing things because we want to.

I am uncertain at this point as to how best address this in my own life. I think it starts with a bit of a mental shift – I have to repent of the desire to not want to be changed, and I have to approach the Bible as the Book, not the greatest devotional ever written….