A Healthy Balance, Part 3
We are already two weeks into a New Year. Therefore, it’s reflection time. How are you doing with your new goals? Are the changes becoming a new part of your life? Or, have you retreated back into former life habits? More than likely, at this point, you are somewhere in the middle of these extremes.
One of the more common new year’s goals for Christians is to increase Bible reading. “Read through the entire Bible” in a year plans are quite popular. I have followed these plans before. I am also an avid proponent of immersing oneself into God’s word on a regular basis. However, if you have begun one of these plans, I will provide some thoughts that you likely haven’t considered. Like everything else, we should strive for a healthy balance in our Bible reading too.
Initially, reading the Bible through in a year sounds like the perfect balance. This plan allows us to ensure that we leave no stone unturned and we are guaranteed to encounter everything that God has given to us. But, does it really provide a healthy balance of God’s word needed by Christians? The following thought may make you feel uncomfortable initially, but please think it through carefully.
Not all parts of scripture are equally important for Christians today. Please allow me to clarify. All parts of scripture are important. Some are just more important than others. For example, Exodus 25-30 provides very specific details about the tabernacle. The intricacies of these details were vitally important for the leaders who worshiped at the tabernacle. However, that is not us today. Some of these details, while still important and good to know, do not mean the same thing to us today what they did to that generation of people.
Again, while not negating the importance of this text (or numerous others I could mention), the reality is that it does not demand the same amount of time and reflection as other portions of scripture. Don’t get me wrong, reading these texts at least once a year is good. However, my concern is the limited attention given to other more important texts in a read the Bible in a year plan.
Each of the gospels (Matthew – John), necessitate more than one reading per year. The New Testament letters to churches, dealing with many of the same issues that we struggle with today, demand more attention than once per year. Tying the book of Revelation together, with the hope of seeing the full picture, requires more than one pass per year. Understanding God’s expectations for those saved through the name of Jesus, as seen in much of the New Testament, will involve regular reading.
So, what is the practical take away from this message? First, I am not against these plans. On the contrary, I am in favor of them. All portions of the Bible merit annual reflection. However, do not think that this alone creates a healthy balance. Second, some portions of the Bible, for the average Christian striving to practice Christianity daily and grow in Christ, require constant attention. We must regularly be immersed in the life of Jesus if we have any hope of growing into His image (see Romans 8.29). Once per year simply will not be adequate.
In the end, I am not advocating to do away with annual bible reading plans. Rather, we must recognize the shortcomings of allowing this to be our entire regular engagement in God’s word. An annual bible reading plan combined with extra attention to texts directly affecting our Christian growth has the potential to create the balance that we need.