I just happened to stumble on over to a blog I have not read in a few months, and lo and behold I found a treasure trove of good stuff.
On the subject of Bible reading. First, I noted she referred to Bible reading plans. I am always up for new ideas in that area. Last time I did it 3 years ago, I was all up on a system that allowed you to receive automatic emails of the daily reading to keep you on track. I found that when I read my emails I would invariably skip them though so I printed out a plan and stuck it in my Bible. I managed to finish that one year plan in a year and a half.
But lately, I have been very high on Google Reader. I had always like the idea of an RSS collector for digesting the contents of a number of sources from news to sports to bloggers to webcomics. It’s like my own customer newspaper that updates all day long. I never got around to setting it up until a few months ago, but now I cannot imagine my life with out it. What do I discover in her links but a list of Bible Reading Plans in the ESV (my new favorite translation), set up as RSS feeds! SWEET!
My own devotional times, which rarely slip now (thank God! It’s only taken me 18 years of walking with Him to get that one consistent!) consist of reading a chapter, then reading the day’s devotional from “My Utmost for His Highest”, then taking the dog for a walk and praying. It’s about 20 minutes and I do it every weekday morning, and most weekend mornings. But with this RSS thing, I think I will add that in, as I can pick away at it all day.
On that same page I ran across a link to another site with a blog. On that blog was a good article that makes an awesome point about Bible reading. Mainly, that the reason so many people struggle with developing a consistent devotional time or Bible reading time in their busy lives is because they see Bible reading as optional. God doesn’t see it that way.
See Psalm 1. See Psalm 119 (the whole thing). See Romans 12:2. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17. See Hebrews 4:12.
It’s not my idea. It’s God’s. If you aren’t reading your Bible every day, then I’d suggest trying to explain yourself in prayer. See if God buys your excuses.
Tags: bible, Bible Reading, devotional time, My Utmost for His Highest, Psalm 119, quiet time, RSS feeds
