My God of mercy shall come to meet me.
(Psalm 59:10 NKJV)
Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
(Psalm 66:5 ESV)
Since the holidays fell in the middle of the week this year, I’ve had some extra space on either side to reflect and pray as one year ended and another began. I enjoy setting goals and have been seeking to discern where God is leading me. Journaling has been a big part of this process, and I’m grateful and excited about it.
One area I’ve been reflecting on is my spiritual disciplines. I try to be consistent about spending time in the Bible daily, but I’ve come to realize that a simple verse-a-day email isn’t enough to fuel me spiritually for the day ahead. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps, like me, you’ve spent most of your life in church and have learned a lot about God, but now you’re realizing there’s still so much more to grow in and understand. Maybe you, too, are in a season of spiritual hunger and thirst, feeling a deeper longing for more.
The start of a new year is a perfect time to think about what God may be calling us to in our spiritual lives. One of the most consistent calls in our walk with God is to read the Bible regularly, so we can know him better and hear what he wants to say to us.
I’ve intentionally read through the Bible about 6-8 times in my life (which, considering my age, isn’t a great ratio). Still, each time, I’ve grown closer to God. Last fall, I was talking with a friend whose mother had passed away at 99. She shared that her mother had read the entire Bible every year—for decades! Just imagine the impact of faithfully absorbing God’s Word, not in small snippets, but in its entirety, year after year, with intention and diligence. I believe that such a steady, long-term diet of God’s Truth would make it much easier to meditate on what is good and to experience lasting peace.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV)
I hadn’t planned to do a “read the Bible in a year” plan for 2025, but lately I’ve been rethinking that decision. Along with others from our church, I’m now planning to follow The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble. This plan includes daily readings, helpful video commentaries, Bible Project videos, and—perhaps most appealing to me—a clear structure to follow. The YouVersion Bible app offers this plan, and it allows me to print out the daily readings, use my preferred Bible translation, and access additional resources to support my goal. (See www.thebiblerecap.com for more info.)
Today, I invite you to join me on a year-long Bible adventure. Download the app or print the schedule. Commit to about twenty minutes a day reading God’s Word and listening to what the Holy Spirit will teach you. Grab some friends, your children, your parents, or even your whole church for this journey! Email me to let me know you’re reading along with. Join me as we grow in God together in 2025!
Word of God,
We taste and see that you are good and we are so blessed when we trust you. Your mercy, grace, and sweet deeds are wonderful to us. God of mercy, come to meet with us. Meet us in your Word, by your Spirit, in our prayers, through our praise and worship. Thank you that when we seek you we will not lack anything we need, and you will teach us to the fear of the Lord. Thank you for helping us do good, seek peace, and trust you. As we begin 2025, help us to hunger and thirst for your Word and your Spirit, and give us the tools we need to grow in our relationships with you. Protect us from any attacks of the enemy which seek to derail our goals and efforts to be disciplined in our spiritual lives. Speak to us, God, so that we may speak hope, grace, mercy, peace, and love into the lives of those around us. We pray in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:8-14 NKJV)