Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . has conquered . . . Revelation 5:5
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Galatians 6:14
You have been very angry with your Anointed One. Psalm 89:38
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2
Let the motto upon your whole ministry be - "Christ is All!" - Cotton Mather

Monday, November 6, 2023

Bible Reading In The New Year

On reading the Bible, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, wrote:

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the First Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel and pray, “O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man”; “let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray.

John Piper writes:

I have never met a mature, fruitful, strong, spiritually discerning Christian who is not full of Scripture, devoted to regular meditation on Scripture, and given to storing it in the heart through Bible memorization. And that’s not a coincidence.

He goes on to give ten reasons "to make Bible reading, Bible understanding, and Bible memory essential to the Christian life" in this helpful article: Make The Bible Part Of Your Everyday In 2024.

7 Thoughts on Reading the Bible by J.C. Ryle

1) Read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it.

2) Read the Scriptures with a simple, childlike faith and humility.

3) Read the Word with a spirit of obedience and self-application.

4) Read the Holy Scriptures everyday.

5) Read the whole Bible and read it an orderly way.

6) Read the Word of God fairly and honestly.

7) Read the Bible with Christ constantly in view.

A Booklet By Jim Elliff: My Preferred Way To Read The Bible

Bible reading plans and other resources to consider for this new year:

1. Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan

Another layout of M'Cheyne's plan

2. Discipleship Journal plan

3. Various plans from Ligonier Ministries

4. Various resources on reading the Bible from Desiring God

5. A helpful article on Bible reading

6. Thoughts on Bible reading from Tim Challies (2023)

Thoughts on Bible reading from Tim Challies (2024)

7. Other Bible reading resources from Tim Challies

8. On reading and delighting in God's Word

9. On memorizing God's Word

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