And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:18-21)I have just finished this year’s reading of the Bible. I have a One Year Bible program (http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/index.html if you are interested) that has a piece of the Old Testament, a piece of the New Testament, a Psalm and a couple of Proverbs every day.
I have read through the Bible several times now. And I always have the same reaction that I had today. When I read the last of Malachi and the last of Revelation, I always feel is a combination of being glad I have done it again, with a certain amount of sadness that I always feel when I finish a book of any kind.
Disciplining yourself to read the Bible daily is an undertaking that is a labor of love. It isn’t easy. There are a million things that come up in the year that try to take you away.
But that is the point of reading: to bring you closer to God and his written will. Hopefully, the more you read, the more you understand.
I have known some people who have managed to read the Bible through several times, yet never understood what they read on anything but a purely superficial level.
They are like the women spoken of in 2 Timothy 3:7: forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.
That’s the sad thing. You can read your Bible cover to cover, year after year, and never really understand it. To do so, you have to first know God. Unless you know God, all you are doing is reading. The stuff you read hits a mental barrier. It is interesting on one level, familiar enough to be enjoyed, yet never makes it into your personal heart of hearts. It just kind of floats to the surface.
That is why you hear bad guys in movies quoting scripture. They sound like they have quite a familiarization with God’s written word, yet they are still bad guys.
The things they read are on the same level as Shakespeare or Milton or someone like that. They are there and they can recall them and quote them, but they really do not understand them nor their power.
There is no power in the words, but in the God behind the words. So reading the words will do no good unless you know the God behind the words.
So I am finished for this year. I start again tomorrow with Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1.
May I know him like I know his word.
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