The Bible...to read or not to read...

Through talks with friends and family (okay just family) about the Bible talk always turns to reading the Bible - mainly, reading the Bible front to back. The WHOLE thing...word for "begatting" word.

While I root and will encourage ANYONE who wants to take on that challenge, I have a few thoughts I would like to share:

(note: I am writing here about reading the Bible front to back all the way through...NOT studying the Bible and learning from it, but reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)

First off. Don't read the Bible because you THINK you should. Read it, because you WANT to. By want to, I mean that this is a goal, a challenge you have always wanted to do...not because a pastor in a pulpit said you should.

If you don't want to read the Bible front to back...then don't! You don't HAVE TO read the entire Bible.

(bet you won't hear that from the pulpit!)

But really, if you don't want to - DON'T!

Why?

Because:

1) if you read it with a HAVE TO mentality you will do it grudgingly and thus might miss out on some things, or worse start to resent a God that would REQUIRE you to do so. No where in the Bible does it say you HAVE TO read your Bible.

2) There's nothing in the Bible that God can't teach you in some other way. So you might not know all the books of the Bible ( I don't!). You might not remember which King was which or who was on first. (neither do a lot of people). It's a big book, there's A TON of stuff in there...I bet I remember less than 10 percent of what I read.

3) There will be no Bible Trivia in heaven...so don't worry about it down here.

4) There's enough people out there who have read the Bible and studied it and you can learn through them.

Okay, so are there reasons TO read the Bible?

You bet!

1) Reading the Bible straight through OT to NT - things are put into perspective. I learned quite a bit that I never was taught, or that wasn't taught clearly.

2) It's God's word. Many people distort it and get away with distorting it because most of us don't read the Bible. Thus reading the Bible will allow you to notice those distortions. ( I would list a couple here, but that would take away from my original message here, so maybe later I will)

3) Bragging Rights! You get to say you read the ENTIRE Bible...of course there is no fanfare when your done, nor do you get a personal call from God saying congrats - at least I didn't. If you do, let me know how it goes!

I read the Bible more as a challenge to myself, not even necessarily to "learn" anything...though I did learn along the way.

But that being said (as I am rambling here) I am going to start the Bible over again starting the 1st of Jan.

If you decide reading the entire Bible is a journey you wish to partake in here are a couple things I would like to share with you.

1) read with an open mind...there are some things you might have been taught along the way that might not be entirely correct. So read with fresh, open eyes...or as best you can.

2) Yes, there are some tough - dare I say boring - parts. Parts that are just a drag to read. (if anyone ever tells you they LOVE every word of the Bible, slap them, they are LYING - ask them which verse in Numbers is their favorite. Or Chronicles.)

1 Chronicles 3:4 "These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years." - Like honey in my mouth.

Seriously, there are some rough parts in the Bible...don't worry about it, just plug away. Believe me, God understands.

3) If you don't understand, don't worry. There's a lot that goes on in the Bible - if you don't get why the Jews are doing this that or the other thing...don't worry about it, just keep reading. Many times, as you read, things will start to make sense. Plus, if you get bogged down into trying to figure it all out, you'll never get through it all. You now where Hebron is? Neither do I...it's part of history, but it isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things...just read on.

4) Remember, there is no test at the end...don't try to memorize it all, just read it as you would read any other book - and if angles don't come through your ceiling as you read and your heart isn't lifted to the heavens and you are not engulfed in the glory of God as you read - don't worry. I wasn't either. In fact, don't count on any AWESOME spiritual event to happen. Most likely it won't.

And that's OKAY!

(if it happens to, however, let me know!)

So there it is.

I encourage anyone who wants to read the Bible to do so, and I will cheer you on (especially through the tough parts) all the way to the end.

Happy New Year!