Keep on Reading

Over the last year I've been on a Bible reading plan. I must confess, I've never used a Bible reading plan prior to this. But last year when I saw the The Books of the Bible presentation of the TNIV put out by the International Bible Society, I was immediately attracted to the format and its possibilities for encouraging fuller Bible reading. So last January several members of our church committed themselves to reading the Bible in a year. We even had a special service dedicated to the importance of the Scriptures in our lives as Christians -- we also dedicated and handed out these new Bibles during this service.

Generally, one would think that being on a reading plan would make it easier to dedicate oneself to keeping regular in one's Scripture reading. And I think that, largely, this is true. I've been more regular in my reading over the course of this past year as a result. Although one of the things I've said to those also on this reading plan is that the important thing, even if you get behind, is to keep on reading. So, if you're supposed to be in the NT and are still finishing up the OT, don't allow getting behind become a discouragement that halts your reading. Keep on reading. Even if your one year plan turns into a two year plan, keep on reading.

I've had to tell myself this too. Over the summer it was a little easier to let myself get behind, especially once I was in the major prophets. Some portions of Scripture are definitely more challenging and difficult than others. Some books are simply hard to plow through. And as a result, I'm behind myself. And although the reading plan is meant for us to read the Bible through from beginning to end, I've actually chosen to mix-up my reading, moving from Paul's epistles to Acts, to the general epistles, and back to the OT. This, I find, helps. I'm not entirely sure yet whether I'll complete it within the alloted year -- and I certainly plan on attempting this -- my plan is still to keep on reading.

One of the great benefits of a reading plan is that you don't arbitrarily decide what portions of the Bible to read. It's not only about reading your favourite books of the Bible. It's not just about finding an encouraging verse (out of context!) for the day. You're taken through the entire Bible. Rather than sticking primarily to the epistles (especially Paul), the Gospels, and the Psalms, you also have to read the minor prophets, the books of the Law, wisdom literature, and lots of genealogies!

Of course, one of the downsides of a year-long reading plan is that you read at a pace that doesn't really allow for deeper study. And if you get behind at all, playing catch up means you have even less time to ponder the words you read. But, that said, there is some benefit to reading through an entire gospel or epistle all at once as one would a book or novel. Like reading a novel, one is immersed in a story, a world, and you become a participant in it. So much of the Bible is narrative that one must think that God intends this. Verse and chapter divisions, while helpful for some purposes, is not as helpful for this kind of reading as it tends to encourage atomizing the text.

I will say, though, that this kind of Bible reading should not be our only kind of Bible reading. As much as I love reading through a whole book in a sitting (when possible!), as is the case with one of the epistles or even one of the shorter gospels (such as Mark), there's no substitute for deeper, more intensive Bible study. Breaking down verses, getting a grasp of specific words and their meaning in context, pondering the text slowly and prayerfully and studiously is a discipline important for all believers, not only pastors and teachers.

So I encourage those of you who haven't ever tried a reading plan to do so. You may think that there's no way of getting through the Bible in a year, but even if you don't make it all in a year it is good to have the discipline of a reading plan. Probably without exception, most who work through reading plans have days when they miss their daily passages. We all get busy. And sometimes we can let lesser things crowd out the priority of Bible reading. But a reading plan does have a way of reminding, of keeping you on track, and of keeping you accountable. All this to say, keep on reading.

The Discipline of Devotion

Quite a while back I posted some thoughts on reading our Bibles and in that post I mentioned a new edition of the Bible published by the International Bible Society called The Books of the Bible. It uses the TNIV translation, and my real reason for loving this edition is the format itself: no chapter and verses in the text, single-column, no headings, study notes relegated to end notes, and, though this feature was less compelling to me, the re-ordering of the books of the Bible according to their probable dates of composition, literary style, and theological content.

Right now there are just over 20 people in our church reading through The Books of the Bible in a year. At the website you can find a handful of different reading plans for just this purpose. At the beginning of the new year we had a special service wherein we dedicated these new Bibles and handed them out to those who had signed up to read it in a year. And we are also meeting once a month for prayer and encouragement. Of course, not every one is literally on the same page, as nice as that might be; however, the point is that people are reading. That said, I still tease my wife since she is still behind! But, again, she is reading. And when it comes to the Bible this is the most important thing.

We're not always much for discipline in our churches. And trying to read through the Bible in a year no doubt serves as a reminder of this. I imagine there are some in our church who opted out of even attempting this simply because they couldn't imagine finding 15 - 20 minutes a day to read their Bible, fearing from the outset that they would fail miserably. But even for those who have taken up the challenge, we too are discovering that finding time is not always easy. Hence those who are still reading through Exodus when on the schedule we should all be in Leviticus or Deuteronomy.

I sometimes wonder if the reason we have trouble with discipline regarding spiritual things has to do with more than simply our busy lives; I wonder if it has something to do with our attitude about spiritual matters to begin with. Is it possible that our reticence to engage in spiritual discipline reflects the degree of our devotion? Do we need to repent of a halfhearted love for God? Or is it perhaps a symptom of a culture that wants everything in quick fixes and therefore wants spiritual enlightenment and growth in the same time that it takes to watch a TV sitcom?

Now, I completely understand and can identify with those whose lives are full and who simply find it difficult to squeeze in time for prayer and worship and Bible reading because there are work and family demands that leave us exhausted and drained of motivation at the end of the day. I, too, once the day is done and the evening begins often want nothing more than to sit in front of the TV to enjoy a favourite show. This is especially true if the day has been both busy and stressful. I don't want to think. I'm too tired to be of much value. But I also know that it doesn't necessarily take a great deal more energy to sit and quietly read my Bible rather than watch another episode of The X-Files. So it seems to me that having a busy and full life is no excuse for not taking time out for my relationship with God which, like any relationship, requires deliberate attention.

A part of this is simple habit. What have we habituated ourselves to do when we have free time? Do we allow the hours to be occupied by a lot of what we typically call screen time? This is certainly our cultural habit, one that is ever increasing since screen time can now include TV, computers, cell-phones, video games, etc. What we need, though, are holy habits, ones that do more than simply entertain us and, worse, numb us to the realities of life. In other words, we need to do do much more with our time than indulge in escapism. Rather than habituating ourselves to escape reality, holy habits such as reading Scripture prepare us to face reality but on God's terms.

But, unfortunately, this takes discipline. It takes intentional effort. It takes a willingness to put the things of God before the things of men. And it means doing so regardless of the poorer habits we have formed over time. But such disciplines of devotion are part and parcel of our life of faith and constitute much of our training in holiness. Growing in holiness, or spiritual maturity, is not an overnight process. It takes place in fits and starts. It happens incrementally. It takes place in a world of dirty laundry, crying children, busy schedules, long days at work, and arguments with our spouses. And unlike other, less noble habits, such holy habits actually imbue life with value and meaning and purpose rather than simply anesthetizing us against life's hardships.

Getting into the Scriptures (or getting the Scriptures into us!)

One of the things I've been thinking about a great deal lately is Scripture. This is the narrative of our God's dealings with us. It tells us the story of our creation, our sin and disobedience, and our redemption through Jesus and the ultimate victory promised to those who remain faithful to him. It is our source of wisdom, divine instruction, practical advice on how to conduct ourselves as the people of God, and it is, supposedly, our authority in all matters of faith and practice. And yet.

And yet we don't read our Bibles enough. We neglect them. We are not soaked in them. We don't follow Peterson's (and John's and Ezekiel's) admonition to "eat this book." Instead, we are often culture-soaked, enveloped and engulfed by the messages we receive from the internet and television, music and the movies. Despite the fact that I'm a pastor, this is still something that I continue to learn as well. And so our Bibles sit on mantles, in hotel drawers, on coffee tables, night-stands, etc., conspicuously unread.

But that's not entirely true, nor is it entirely fair. The Bible is not the most friendly, accessible book. It can be intimidating. It can be unwieldy. It can be discouraging to read a verse, a chapter, or even a large chunk of one of its 66 books and realize that you have no idea what it all means. There is narrative. There is poetry. There is apocalyptic literature. There are letters. There are gospels. There are prophets denouncing God's people and announcing imminent doom and destruction. There are odd customs. There is holy war. There is what some might call ethnic cleansing. There are long lists of names (geneaologies). There are lists upon lists of arcane rules that appear to have no relevance for the nineteenth-century, much less the twenty-first! There are culture gaps of thousands of years and miles that separate us from the events and people in the Bible. Is it any wonder that it's hard to get into (and even more difficult to get it into us)?

That's why I'm very excited about the newest addition of the Bible the International Bible Society is releasing this August called The Books of the Bible. What excites me most about this--and if you follow the link, you'll see for yourself--is that they are doing whatever they can to make the Bible more accessible and readable while still maintaining its integrity. All the books are still there, even if re-arranged into their probable historical order and in relation to other books of a similar theme, thrust, or style. Gone is the two-column format which makes our Bibles look more like a phone book than something we may want to read. Gone are the in-text chapter and verse divisions. Gone are the headings. And relegated to the back of each book are the study notes. The effect is that the Bible now looks like a book we might actually read.

Granted, it is still the Bible. All of the books are in tact. Obviously. But this format restores the text. It removes it, hopefully, from our tendency to proof-text and atomize our Scriptures. And while it may prove more difficult to use this edition to memorize specific verses or passages, it hopefully will encourage a fuller reading--one that doesn't stop because of numbers which separate. "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder." I know, that's a poor example of proof-texting my point, but you get the picture. Those chapter and verse divisions are not original to the Bible, and as helpful as they are, they also prevent us sometimes from experiencing the Scriptures as one ongoing narrative, as a collection of whole books that reveal to us God at work in history and the world.

In my opinion, I am very appreciative of whatever will get us into our Bibles more easily. There are enough inherent barriers to good Bible reading that we need to overcome through study and homework, but the very manner of how our Bibles have traditionally been published and printed are themselves barriers to even cracking the spine. Eugene Peterson's The Message already had used a single column format without chapter and verse divisions; and it meant that we could pick up our Bibles like any other book, that is, in a format that was welcoming. I think of kids who inherit King James Bibles from their grandparents and can't understand a word of it. And given the offense and scandal of the biblical message, which makes it both bitter and sweet, whatever we can do to get the Scriptures into us is great news. In fact, it is good news. And isn't that what the Bible is all about in the first place?