Part of me never thought I would say this, but I read through the entire Bible in 2010. For the first time ever. December 29th found me finishing up the final chapters in Malachi and reflecting on this unspoken goal I’d had for last year.

Why I Did It

I’ve been making random attempts at reading through the entire Bible since I was in college. I certainly haven’t tried every year, but there have been multiple times over the past twenty years when I began reading in January…only to give up a few weeks or months later. And though I could get through the earliest books and the ceremonial law, I found myself bogged down somewhere around 2 Chronicles, time after time.

While I don’t think that you need to read through the whole Bible in one year to be a “good Christian,” there are a few reasons it was important to me:

• I wanted to make sure I read all of God’s word. Through Bible studies, personal devotions, and sermons, I’ve read and encountered much of the Bible. But I wanted to know that I’ve read it all. Every last word.
• I wanted to make God’s word a priority in 2010. It’s easy to get caught up in encouraging devotional books or stimulating studies, but sometimes I tend to think more about the authors of those books than the Author of Scripture. In 2010, I wanted to focus primarily on God and on what He has said.
• I had no excuses. Toward the end of 2009, I read on a blog somewhere (and I can’t even remember where) that it only takes about 12-15 minutes of reading per day to read through the Bible, and I saw a little challenge issued — something along the lines of “any Christian worth their salt should be able to commit to that.” I knew I already devoted more than 15 minutes a day to reading other books, so why wouldn’t/shouldn’t I do the same for the Bible?

My decision was made: I would, once again, try to read through the Bible in 2010. But still, I had tried before and failed. What would make this time different?

Before I started, I needed a plan.

Finding a Reading Plan and Process

In the past, I’d tried just reading straight through from Genesis to Revelation; I’d tried using a Chronological Bible; and I’d tried random Bible-reading plans that I found in books and magazines. I knew that “the right plan” wasn’t the answer, but I also knew that having a plan would give my goal some needed structure.

I think it was on Twitter where I first heard about YouVersion.com, an online Bible-reading resource that provides multiple Bible translations, study tools, and a wide variety of Bible-reading plans. In addition, there was a free app I could download for my iPod touch, so I could check my plan or actually do my daily Bible reading anywhere and any time. This approach — incorporating my computer and my iPod touch — appealed to the geek in me.

After checking out all the plans, I chose the M’Cheyne One-Year Plan. Here’s how YouVersion describes it:

This plan is based on the M’Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings for use in both family and personal devotions. Each day has two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.

I liked the fact that there was reading variety — reading from four different places in the Bible each day. And I also decided that though the plan worked its way through the New Testament twice, I would only go through it once. Therefore, I’d be reading from the OT and NT for the first half of the year, and then just finish the OT during the second half of the year.

I was all set. I had a plan. I had my resources. I got started.

But starting is the easy part, right?. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about why I didn’t quit this time, and what I learned along the way.

*

In the meantime, I’d love to know — Did you read through the Bible in 2010 or do you plan to in 2011? Or perhaps you read through it every year? What have your experiences been when it comes to reading through the entire Bible?

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is full of love and laughter and family and joy.

But most of all, I hope you know the amazing depth of God’s love. He shows His love in many ways, but today we remember one of the most precious and profound ways — He sent His son, as a tiny baby, to be our Savior.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

- Luke 2:11

I’m writing this post on Wednesday night. It’s 9:30 and everyone other than me is already in bed. Chad is sick — battling some kind of viral throat infection, we think. He took some Nyquil and climbed under the covers. C.(12) is better after a cold he had last week. L.(4) has croup, but is on the mend. It’s been one of those weeks.

Sadly, I have to admit that there are times when a bunch of illnesses in our home leads me to excessive grouchiness and complaining. It’s not the right response, but it’s one I adopt. Too often.

But tonight, there are other things on my mind.

We did some shopping this week for some families on our church’s “Caring Tree.” (Local ministries take requests from families and we, as a church, get the privilege of blessing those families by fulfilling their wish lists.)

Some of the wishes look like any other Christmas list — MP3 players, toys.

But some are more basic: A pair of pajamas. Diapers. A Bible. A gift card to the grocery store.

How often do I take for granted the fact that my kids have two sets of pajamas — one to wear while the other’s being washed? How often do I think about the fact that I don’t have to ask for a grocery store gift card for Christmas? And we won’t even talk about how many Bibles we have in this house.

God has blessed us abundantly and tonight, I’m thankful, and also humbled and…a little on guard.

I was reading recently in the book of Hosea. God talks of how He cared for His people, the Israelites, when they were wandering in the desert. Hosea 13:5-6 says:

“I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.”

Do you see the process there?

1. The Israelites were in need.

2. God cared for them and provided enough that they were satisfied.

3. They became proud and forgot God.

Isn’t that just how we tend to be? When we are satisfied — when we have all that we need — we tend to lose sight of our need for God. We rely on ourselves and figure we can handle everything just fine, thank you very much (there’s that pride). And we forget God. We forget that He is our provider and that He’s the one who has cared for us and gotten us through the wilderness and the heat and the hunger.

I don’t know about you, but in my life, the amount of time I spend praying seems to be inversely proportional to how “easy” life feels. The easier things are…the easier it is to fall into prayerlessness.

I’m incredibly thankful for the blessings God’s given us. I’m happy to have a house that is warm and safe and comfortable. I appreciate the fact that we have two cars, plenty of food and clothing, enough money to go on vacation. And to be honest, I thoroughly enjoy the “toys” and gadgets we have that make life easier or just more fun.

But I don’t want to lose sight of my constant need for God. I don’t want to forget that He is the source of everything, the Giver of all the good gifts we enjoy. In our lack of “want,” I don’t want to become proud. And I don’t want to forget God.

So I’m praying, praying that God won’t let me forget Him. It seems like it’s one of those scary kinds of prayers — you know, like “Don’t pray for patience”? But I know God is good and loving and I trust Him.

And tonight, I thank Him. For everything.