Hello
all!
How
many of you can say that you have read the Bible?
No,
I don't mean a couple of verses and chapters, or even books. I mean the whole
Bible, from the beginning to the end. From "In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth," all the way to "The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen," without skipping a single verse
(Genesis 1:1, Revelation 22:21 KJV).
One
day, as I was lounging by the pool, a neighbor and his friends were having a
long discourse about what books they have read.
Suddenly,
one of them asked, "Have you read the Bible, like all of it?"
"No,
the Bible is too long!" replied his friend. I could not say yes to that
question either.
Back
in elementary school, I had attempted to read through the Bible from the
beginning. However, I read at such a snail's pace that I eventually
stopped after reading Genesis. It wasn't even helped by the fact that I could
not understand half of what it was saying.
However,
since then, I have read books like Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Jonah, John, and
Habakkuk mostly as a Pathfinder reading assignment. I can also say that I
have read Matthew, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes at my father's Bible studies. With
that said, I was not reading or meditating on God's Word regularly, and a lot
of what I have read has faded from my memory.
But
as I attended two public high schools and a secular institution, I came to
realize that people had all kinds of views, skepticisms, and interpretations
regarding the Bible.
With
so many ways to look at the Bible, how can we say that the Seventh-day
Adventist interpretation of the Bible is truly biblical or not? Or can we even
say that there is a truly correct view of the Bible?
So
with the desire to get a complete picture of what the Bible says, along with
the growing conviction to spend time regularly with God, I began again the
challenge of reading the Bible during my sophomore year in college. Unfortunately,
I was too focused on the sheer load of my schoolwork and other distractions of
life that I barely kept up with it.
In
fact, it took me more than a year to finish Genesis.
By
the time I heard that question by the pool, I was in junior or senior year, and
I had just started on Exodus – more than a year after I had started on my
challenge. At the rate I was reading, I could easily have taken a lifetime and
still not have been finished!
So
did that get me started on reading the Bible everyday? Sadly, no.
http://www.mem-umc.org/mem-umc/sermon-series-the-bible-in-a-year
It
was as if no matter how many times I would start on this challenge, I was
continually swayed by the things around me, and I wondered how it would be
possible to set aside time for God and His Word on a daily basis when there is
so much to do every day.
So,
to make a long story short, it was a lifetime of conviction and struggle with
God to really truly have a regular devotional time with Him.
Finally,
starting in June of last year, I have truly started to read my Bible every day
starting with Leviticus and reaching up to where I am now, chapter 11 of 2
Samuel. So far, it has been a profound experience reading all the familiar
Bible stories for myself and learning of new stories and details that I have
not been aware of before. And most of all, I am amazed that it HAS BEEN
possible to regularly spend time with God no matter how crazy or hectic my life
has been.
I
plan to continue reading, and at the pace I have been reading I believe and
hope that I will finish the Bible in 4 to 5 years' time. By then, I hope to
have gained a better perspective of God and of His Word.
Meanwhile,
in the spirit of sharing what I have been learning, I will be blogging, ideally
every month or two, about my experience. However, I will not be preaching or
giving you Bible studies. Instead, I will be writing in a book report and
personal diary style about the stories I have read, the lessons I have learned,
and the questions that I may have.
Also,
since I am in 2 Samuel, my first post(s) will be a brief recap of what I can
remember about my reading and some of the most profound lessons I have learned
so far.
I
hope that you will join with me in my journey through the Bible and that
whatever you read here will encourage you to read the Word of God for
yourself.
For
my Christian friends, please pray for me that I will not stop spending time in
God's Word and that the Holy Spirit will guide my understanding so that
whatever I share will of blessing to you and to others who may stumble upon
this blog.
And
most of all, please pray for me that with each reading, I will grow closer to
God and that my life will be a reflection of who He is.
(Picture credits to Adrien Charles-Marcel)
