Bible Reading: Are Read-It-In-a-Year Plans Wise?

There are many "read through the Bible in a year" Bible reading plans available for free, but have you ever been able to follow one for more than two weeks? A month? Some people do, and it might work for them. But it's important to not pressure ourselves to follow a set plan when it comes to the Bible.

For instance, during a day's reading, there may be a passage that you find you really need to think about. If you do, you may miss the time allotted for finishing the rest of the chapters listed for that day. If this happens enough times, you're stuck with feeling the need to read a large number of chapters in a row, in order to catch up on previous days' assignments in the Bible reading plan.

The Bible is the Word of God. When we read it, we should aim to really listen to what it has to say--to really think about it and try to understand it, and that can take time.

We should also be sincere instead of forcing ourselves. As children of God, we will desire at times to read his Word. A plan may force us into doing something we really don't want to do at that moment.

It doesn't need to be a race to get through it as fast as we can. We may hear someone say how they read the Bible in a year and desire to do that because it sounds wonderful. But honestly what's most important for us in reading the Bible is being sincere and ready to think and listen. That includes openness to it taking as much time as needed.

The World Upheld by God

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word..." Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

The world is created by God and upheld at every moment by God. Many people have made arguments against the ethic of God acting in the world.

It is as if it would be wrong for God to act upon the world. The Christian teaching is that God must act upon the world at every moment to hold it in existence.

The world does not have the permanence man arrogantly places it as having. It is utterly dependent on God each moment.

The question of the ethics of God acting upon the world is senseless to the bible since it has no existence apart from him continuing to will that the world is.

You see the arrogance of man thinking he can fight against God. Man meets God in the bible and if there is a difference of opinion it is man who is wrong.

God cannot violate the laws of nature because he created them and upholds them at every moment. The bible is always right even when we think it is wrong.