The Goal

 It is not a secret that I am a goal oriented person. I love a good challenge. Pinnacle Christian School issued one I could not resist. They declared October as "Bible Reading Challenge Month." Through the month of October students have been challenged to read the word of God on their own or to have it read to them. They were given a log to keep up with their minutes. At the end of the month, all of those minutes will be tallied to see how much time we spent in God's word as a school. I WAS ALL IN. 

I set my own personal goal. I formulated a plan for how I would have to change a few things in my schedule. I readjusted some priorities. Less tv and more time in the Bible. That is a personal goal I keep before me each year to read scripture. This year I had been sluggish. Sometimes it is hard to balance Bible reading and praying. For most of 2023 I could not keep them balanced. Bible reading often gave way to prayer. I knew that time studying the scriptures is not the same as reading to get close to God. The October Bible reading challenge seemed the right catalyst to get me back on track. 

I have read at a torrid pace. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, and minute after minute. I also discovered something. A verse that I already knew but had not recalled in a while. 

[Ps 119:165] Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble. 

That is true. During this Bible reading month I have felt the peace of God. I have trusted God in trials. I feel less stressed. More tranquil. God renewed my hunger for Him and His word. He gets me up and I eagerly make my way to my chair in the living room and pull my Bible off the coffee table. Many mornings I totally lose track of time. Though I have read through the Bible more than once, it sure seems fresh again this time. 

Do you find yourself gripped with fear? Are you anxious all the time by world events? Do you find trials getting the best of you? I encourage you to rearrange your schedule. Make time for getting into God's word. Read it. Reflect on it. Get renewed by its truth. 

How many own multiple Bibles that are never opened during the week? It is a travesty how little the church values the scriptures. People through history have died to get us copies we can read. Others die to this day smuggling Bibles into forbidden countries. Many around the world will walk for days just to read a fragment of a page of the Bible, for they believe it is a holy book. Dust collectors on the covers of some Christian's Bible. Show me a worn out Bible and I will point to the life of the owner of that Bible as not. being worn out. 

You want more peace and not to stumble over the trials of life. Read the Bible. Meditate on it. Ponder the truth contained inside. Encounter God within in the pages. Learn. Grow. Discover more of God and not just more about Him. Like the Psalmist can say I love the law. I love God's word and have devoted my life to reading it, studying it, preaching it, and teaching it. It is a life transformational book. I hope you will discover it soon again if you have neglected it for a while.