It’s December 29th, and we are in a strange land - the land between the seasons. Christmas is finished, and New Years is just a few days away. The week between Christmas and New Years is just odd. I never know what to do with my time. Should I get a head start on my New Years resolution, or should I lie around the house and swear off wearing any pants that contain buttons?
I usually answer the above either/or question with a ‘yes’. Yes… to both. Can you relate?
Speaking of New Years resolutions - many believers that I know start some kind of bible reading plan on January 1, and I am no different. I will be following a chronological bible reading plan this year, and I have been preparing for the launch of this plan with a few other women. We all purchased the same chronological bible, and we will make our way through it over the course of 2024. We are staying in contact with one another throughout the year over a Signal chat. I can’t tell you how excited I am to spend time in the Word in the digital ‘company’ of people who also love the Lord!
When I decided to read through the bible chronologically, I knew that I would need some external motivation to keep me motivated to finish this plan. With the help of our Signal chat community to hold us accountable, it is much more likely that we will stay faithful to finishing our plan this year. In addition to reading through a bible reading plan in community, I’d like to share a few more tips that I’ve picked up from various ministry leaders about how to stick to your plan.
The first tip seems obvious, but it’s worth stating. In order to stick to your plan, you need to have a plan. How will you decide what to read? There are many, many, MANY free bible reading plans available online. You could check out any of the free plans available on the YouVersion Bible App. Another option could be to subscribe to a bible study delivery service like She Reads Truth or He Reads Truth. It doesn’t matter what plan you follow, but you do need to have one.
Decide when you are going to read, and cater your reading routine to the routines that you already have established. If you are not a morning person, don’t try to make yourself fit into the morning-person-mold. You don’t need a pre-sunrise quiet house with a King’s Kaleidoscope playlist on in the background AND freshly brewed coffee AND an autumn-scented candle AND a gel highlighter set AND a comprehensive commentary. You just need your bible. Read it in the parking lot before you walk into work, or when you lay your kids down for nap, or in bed before you go to sleep. Maybe you’d prefer to listen to your bible during your commute instead of reading it? You’re allowed to do that!
If you miss a day, skip it. You heard me - skip it! Perfection is not the goal. Rather, consistency is the goal. You don’t need to have a perfect record, you just need to consistently spend time in the Word of God and allow Him to speak to you through it. Here is a hard truth that I am still learning: If you strive for perfection, you will quit. Maybe you won’t quit after the first or second time you get behind, but you will quit when catching up becomes impossible. So… skip it.
Pray for the Lord to give you the faithfulness that you are striving for. This point seems contradictory to tip number 3, but we can hold two things in tension at the same time. It is God who grants us faithfulness - let’s ask Him for help! Let’s ask God to give us love for His Word and remind us of our reading plan on the days that we are tempted to forget.
Finally, I am going to repeat myself - read your bible in community. If you have the external motivation of a few friends to hold you accountable, then your chances of success are way higher. Grab a buddy!
Have I missed any tips? Let me know! Sincerely,
Samantha Metheny
Director of Operations | Veritas Church
samantha@veritasfayetteville.com