New Year’s resolutions galore! Of course. We’re just a day away from the launch of 2019 and resolution ideas are spreading across social media.
But just a few days after New Year’s what will we all be asking?
“Are your resolutions still resolutions or are they no longer resolved to continue?
With all the self-help lists come charts of what every good person “must do” or “must read” in 2019. We must: eat healthier, exercise more regularly, pay down more debt, save more money, be more productive, and on the list goes…
Yet while all those “must do’s” may be all well and good, there is one action step I believe we all must do as Jesus-followers in 2019. What pray-tell is this extraordinary must do?
Drum-roll Please…
A: Consistently read through God’s Word, the Bible.
Yep, it’s that simple, yet also that difficult. Why? Because everything seems to distract us from this simple, yet life-changing, decision-forming, heart-healing practice.
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Here’s the video of my message “One Must Do in 2019,” from Mayfair Bible Church on December 30, 2018, in which I give 5 key reasons for consistently reading through the Bible:
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Really, That’s It?
Now most of you may be thinking you could have figured this one out on your own. So why keep reading or watching?
The hard part is not merely stating the need: If we want to grow in God-likeness (godliness) in 2019 we must read God’s Word (not hard), but rather practicing this “must do.” For many of us – if we’re honest – embarking on a journey to consistently read through the Bible sounds like swimming across the English Channel, running a marathon, or hiking the Appalachian trail. The statistics of how many evangelical Christians have never read through the Bible in its entirety is downright startling… but maybe it’s really not.
Read the Research: Americans are Fond of the Bible, but Don’t Actually Read It
We all seem to struggle with this vital spiritual discipline.
But just like preparing to run a marathon, learning a new skill, or hiking the Appalachian trail, we all want to really know why? When we answer the why, we are then motivated to stay the course… to perform the task, to read the book. So what are some essential reasons for consistently reading through God’s Word?
Consistently reading the Bible…
1. …Keeps us from giving into sin. (Psalm 119:9-11; cf. John 17:17)
“How shall a young man keep his way pure? By giving heed according to Your Word. . . . Your Word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (v. 9, 11)
“Sanctify them in the truth, Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
KEY Q: What you treasure will demonstrate who is your master. So who or what do you treasure?
“This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.” – Howard Hendrick
2. …Guards us against Satan’s lies. (Eph. 6:17; Jude 1:3-4; cf. Luke 4:1-13; Matt. 4:6)
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17)
KEY Q: Satan blurs the lies to appears as truth. To what lies are you more easily susceptible? Click here to access the my footnote: “Lies We Believe” [1]
In order to confront lies with truth, we have to know the truth. And this comes through saturating, internalizing, memorizing, and apply God’s truth to your life.
3. …Restores us when we are weary and worn. (Psa. 23:3; Matt. 11:28-30; 2 Cor. 1:3-5)
“The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.” (Psa. 23:1-3)Only the Shepherd can do restore our souls… and He does this through the Spirit and the Word.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)
4. …Guides us in God’s design for life. (Psalm 119:105; 2 Tim. 3:15-17)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” (Psa. 119:105)KEY: In the Word of God we find the will of God and the way of God for life. (Cf. 2 Tim. 3:15-17)
KEY Q: God’s Word is our guide “for all life, faith, and practice…” This is not merely supposed to be a “pat” doctrinal statement answer. Do we believe this? Do we more quickly resort to Facebook, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, or Youtube for answers?
“A genuinely well-worn Bible that is falling apart, generally belongs to someone who’s not.” Doug Hornok Sr. (and Charles Spurgeon)
5. …Inspires us to worship God. (Romans 11:33-12:1)
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:33-36)
KEY: Rehearsing all He has done, is doing, and will do leads us to worship….which happens through the Word!
“The reason I read the Bible is because I am stone-cold dead without Christ and His Word.” – John Piper
An Important Caveat: Don’t slip into legalism! Growth in the likeness of Christ is the working progress of God in our lives, only accomplished through “His power at work within us to will and to do according to His good pleasure…” (Phil. 2:13). Therefore, these reasons for reading the Bible, ultimately, should inspire us to worship God for His great, magnificent life-changing Word, not lean on our faulty human strength.
My friend, Dr. Richard Bargas, helpfully reminds us:
“…many Christians will begin their new Bible reading strong and with the best of intentions…but in the flesh and not in dependence upon God. This year, try something new—read your Bible in dependence upon the Spirit. Not just to begin reading it, but to continue reading through to the end. The goal is not finishing the Bible, nor is it reading it every day without fail. The goal is growing close to your Savior and God. From that relationship will flow rivers of living water.” – Bargas’ Article LINK
So lean into Jesus as you read the Word. Walk in the Spirit as you pour over each verse. Pray for illumination and wisdom as you internalize God’s Truth.
3 Great Resources for Picking a Bible Reading Plan… and Sticking to it:
- The Navigators offer 3 free downloadable Bible Reading plans here at various paces: https://www.navigators.org/resource/bible-reading-plans/
- LifeWay‘s Trevin Wax provides 6 great options to consider for Bible Reading here: https://lifewayvoices.com/discipleship-evangelism/find-a-bible-reading-plan-thats-right-for-you/
- Bible Study Tools outlines a whopping 17 Bible Reading Plans, including options for chronological reading, daily Gospel, daily Psalm, book order, and more: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/
[1] Lies we sometimes believe…
“We’re not really in a spiritual war or facing assaults from Satan or demons.”
- TRUTH: We are in a real war. Our real, ultimate fight is not against persons, people groups, or political parties, but against Satan, sin, and his system.
- “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8; see also Eph. 6:11-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-6)
“My sense of worth and value is in what I do, what I have, and what I look like.”
- TRUTH: For those in Christ, our worth and value is in what God calls us: His children – adopted inheritors with all the saints in light.
- “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:5-6; see also Eph. 1:13-23; Col. 1:12)
“My past will always define me.”
- TRUTH: Your past may explain the way you are, but it need not define what you will become.
- “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17; see also Rom. 12:2)
“If I’m really honest and authentic with my friends, I will be rejected…alone.”
- TRUTH: All who are in Jesus Christ are part of God’s family. He’s holding us together and building us together into a holy temple, with Jesus Christ being the Cornerstone. No matter who rejects you, God accepts you in His Son.
- “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22; see also Gal. 6:2)
“My education and intellect is the measure of my value to my society and family.”
- TRUTH: Your intrinsic value is in how God defines you, not in how others describe you.
- “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9)
“What other people have but I lack would make me happier or more content in my soul.”
- TRUTH: God grants contentment to His people when their greatest treasure is in Him, not in what they possess on earth.
- “…I have learned to be content in whatsoever circumstances I am in…” (Philippians 4:11-12). “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; for your body, as to what you will put on. … Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matt. 6:25-34; Luke 12:22)
“An occasional thought of lust for someone other than my spouse will do no harm to my marriage.”
- TRUTH: “…everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her as already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28)
“Spending multiple hours per day viewing social media, TV, or movies yet only 5 minutes per day reading the Bible won’t inhibit my spiritual growth.”
- TRUTH: We will harvest the crop we plant and nurture. What kind of harvest will you reap?
- “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lost heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Gal. 6:7-9; see also Gal. 5:19-24)
“Internalizing Bible verses is impossible for me and not really worth the effort.”
- TRUTH: God’s Word is our central weapon against Satan’s attacks. How did Jesus confront the lies of Satan? With the Truth of God’s Word (Luke 4:1-13; Matt. 4) Know the Word and be ready with the Word.
- “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:13; see also 1 Pet. 1:14; John 17:17)
“Small sin decisions won’t have serious consequences.”
- God’s TRUTH: Every decision we make is aligned with the way of sin or the will of the Spirit. Apart from the unmerited kindness of God, we will reap the consequences accordingly.
- “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Gal. 5:16-17; cf. “Be sure your sin will find you out…” (Num. 32:23b)
What lies are you believing… today?
Are your actions or emotions built around a lie you sometimes believe? How would you complete this sentence?
“___________________________ will make me happy or at peace when I’m stressed, depressed, or angry.”
Stand strong in the strength that God provides. Guard against Satan’s lies with the weapons God provides.
Find hope again in the secure and timeless words of Jesus the Christ:
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31b-32)
In God’s Vineyard,
Michael
