Proverbs 20:9 (KJV)
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Now it is not so much the verse that I want to talk about today, rather the whole book of Proverbs and the Bible. This book is such a fantastic collection of wisdom that has been handed down to us, but how many of us are actually aware of much that is in there? It is one of those books that I know about, I know what it is, but in reality I know next to nothing about it. I know it is a collection of sayings from Old Testament times, I know that many are thought to be written by Solomon but my knowledge ends there.
As those who have followed this blog for a while know I am reading my way through the Street Bible and have at times mentioned it in passing. Well Proverbs was one of those books that while reading through caught my attention. I have never really paid it much attention and have never really heard anyone talk about it much. And for me that covers some big sections of the Bible, I know a little about it but just surface facts. When reading the Street Bible I realised there was much in the Bible I needed to reread in its entirety.
I have currently a significant collection of books that I am trying to read through and this has meant I have squeezed in extra reading time into my schedule to try and get through these books quicker. There is so much that I want to know, reading and learning it is becoming a mammoth task. Even so I am going to make myself a new commitment, I will read the whole Bible, cover to cover. I know that I will not be able to start this until at least next week due to my busy weekend but it is something I feel is essential. I know parts of the Bible very well and have studied sections in detail but I have never read it as I would any other book. In the past I have dipped in and out of the Bible but never just read it as I would any other book.
So from a simple daily verse I am committing myself to yet another project that will take up a considerable part of my life for some time to come. However as with my other commitments like this blog and the Soldiers Challenge there is so much I am learning and gaining from them that they have ceased to be a burden and are now thoroughly incorporated into my life. If this is what it takes to make me find space in my life to do regular and consistent Bible study then it can only be a good thing.
Several years ago, at the urging of a speaker at a Women's Retreat, I purchased a "One Year Bible for Women." The Bible broken down into daily readings of about 15 -20 minutes per day (unless you read as fast as I do). Each day's reading had a portion of the Old Testament, a portion of the New Testament, some Psalms and a few verses of Proverbs. I used that Bible as part of my morning devotions every morning for the last several years. This year I went out and bought a "One Year Chronologicl Bible." The Bible rearranged into what they believe is chronological order and then broken down into 15 - 20 minute segments. No matter which way I read it I always find that I learn and discover new things every time I read through the Bible. I believe it is the greatest tool in our toolbelt for learning more about God and His plan for our lives. But don't read it out of an obligation or as one more thing to check off your to do list. Read it as a love story from God to you. You will enjoy it more that way.
ReplyDeleteI am an academic at heart, and because of that I have a thirst for knowledge. It is mainly because of this thirst I want to do this, not out of obligation but out of I need I have to know as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteThen you and I are very much alike in that regard. I know that the Lord will bless you as you commit to reading through His Word. I have found no greater blessing in my life.
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