Being in the Word

“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”—Isaiah 40:8 (NLT)

We definitely live in a noncommittal world. Persevering through adversity isn’t what is encouraged. Giving up and moving on to the next thing is more common. When my children were younger, we had a rule in our house. If you signed up for a sport, you had stick with it until the end of the season. They made a commitment to be a part of a team and needed to fulfill it.

As Christians, lack of committing is just as prevalent. We get behind in our Bible reading plan. Rather than try and catch up, we stop and tell ourselves we will do better next year. The thing is, for many of us, we can’t seem to make the time to commit to dedicating 15-20 minutes of our day reading scripture, but we find time to binge watch a show for at least two hours or scroll through social media. I know many times I am guilty of doing it.

Our misplaced priorities eat into our day. The next thing you know, we haven’t spent any time with God. When we prioritize our morning meditation with Him, we will have peace and rest. If it doesn’t become an automatic part of your morning routine, it will be hard to be consistent with it. The only way to find rest for my soul is through spending time with Jesus.

This will be my 4th year to read through the Bible in one year. In 2020, I did The Bible Recap and would listen to the corresponding podcast that went along with my daily reading. For 2021, I decided to try a different plan where you read both Old and New Testament parts each day. I enjoyed the chronological plan better as well as a podcast to listen to after my reading, so last year, I did The Bible Recap again.

For 2023, I decided to try a new one. It is with The Daily Grace Co. They have 2 different plans. I am doing From Eden to Eternity, which is a chronological reading plan that also has a corresponding podcast. (Also on Spotify) To keep up and hold yourself accountable, you can also sign up for it on YouVersion.

You can start a Bible reading plan at any time. It doesn’t have to be on January 1st. That is my preference. As I finish up Revelations on December 31st, I feel a sense of accomplishment.  It’s not too late to start one for this year. We are only 9 days into 2023. If you want to wrap it up by the end of December, you could easily read 2 days each day to hit that target

If you get behind, I know it is tempting to give up and stop trying, but that is exactly what the enemy wants you to do. God gives us a clean slate every day. He doesn’t hold a grudge when we neglect spending time with Him the prior day. However, when we do spend time in scripture each day, it reshapes our hearts and lives. The human heart will quickly wander when we don’t intentionally stay in His Word. Neglecting God’s Word leaves you open to the influence of the world. Obeying God’s Word gives us the freedom to enjoy life. We reap wisdom through it.

God’s love is a stabilizer in our lives. His peace is always present. We have access to it all day and every day. One of those ways is by reading our Bible. I can’t grow in wisdom if I am not reading scripture. No pressure to do a 365-day Bible reading plan that will go through the entire Bible. YouVersion has plenty of shorter ones that you can do throughout the year.

If this is something new for you, I get it. Look at me, I did plenty of Bible studies over the years, but I hadn’t ever committed to a daily Bible reading plan until 2020. The good thing about reading the Bible from cover to cover, is that you will read scriptures that you might miss in a Bible Study.

Father God,

Forgive me when I rush through my morning time with You. Reveal to me new insight to understand Your teachings. Thank You for Your Living Word that breathes life into me and my day. For those who are reluctant to committing to a daily Bible reading plan, I ask for You to fill them with a confident spirt that will enable them to take that step to learn more about who You are and what Your Word says. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

January Verse

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”—1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.