I must be honest—I don’t read my Bible every day. It’s tough to admit this, but it’s true.

I decided to research how long it would take to read the whole Bible if I read it daily, giving only a minimum effort. There are 260 chapters in the New Testament and 929 chapters in the Old Testament. That’s a total of 1,189 chapters. If I read just three chapters a day, I would be able to read the whole Bible in one year. If I read just one chapter each day of the New Testament that would be 260 days, which is less than one year.

Research indicates that we can read the whole Bible in a year by reading less than twelve minutes each day. I’ve concluded that there is no excuse not to read the Bible, or to listen to it audibly, from cover to cover.

The Bible is the most important book ever written. The Word of God contains God’s will for our lives. It is our spiritual food. It guides us and gives us discernment, instructing us in righteousness. It is the living Word, giving us the power to overcome temptation and evil. In this love letter, God promises we will become the bride of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It is a live-action thriller better than any Hollywood script. It transforms lives while being entertaining at the same time.

I was reminded of its action-packed storyline and the ability to transform lives as I read 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 NIV:

We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

~1 Corinthians 4:10-13 NIV

Can you imagine being hungry, thirsty, ragged, beaten, and homeless, yet still choosing to bless while being cursed, enduring while being persecuted, being kind while being slandered, and being treated like scum or garbage? I cannot even fathom the idea. And yet the disciples suffered those things and continued to remain faithful to Jesus, the Word made flesh.

William Tyndale is another example of faithfulness to God. In 1536, he was burned alive in Belgium for translating the Bible into English. Tyndale was moved to translate the New Testament because he saw that “it was impossible to establish the people in any truth unless the Scriptures were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother-tongue.“

What the apostles suffered along with Tyndale to bring the Word of God motivates me to read my Bible from cover to cover and to read it daily. I will need to rearrange my priorities, but I’m committed.

How about you? Will you join me? Let’s start over and make Bible reading central to our daily activities. Everything else will then come into its proper place.

Will you commit twelve minutes a day for a Bible readthrough?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Bible. Help me to prioritize reading Your Word daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2019: Need a Good Reason to Read Your Bible? No Excuse–Read it Now!: Lee Ann Mancini