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Resolved to Study

     It is good practice to make resolutions every year. Without a goal or a purpose, we tend to aimlessly wander through life. Resolutions enable us to focus our mind, give us a reason to rise every morning, and keep us moving toward our desired outcome.

A common goal that many Christians set for themselves is to read the bible through in a year. It is a great goal to have. Paul would certainly endorse it. He wrote to Timothy saying, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). There is also the blessed example of the Bereans who, “…received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

The trouble that some Christians encounter along the way is losing sight of the goal. This becomes evident around Spring Break. By this time there are some bibles that sitting around gathering dust.  So, the question is, how do we keep ourselves motivated throughout the year?

First, set aside a time everyday for bible reading. If you do not make the time, you will not find the time. The best time of the day is going to be different for everyone. When selecting a time to read, keep two things in mind. One, you need a time when you will not be distracted for about twenty to thirty minutes. Second, you need a time of day when you are fully awake.

Second, make either a daily or a weekly reading goal. For example, my bible has twelve-hundred pages in it. If I read just four pages a day, for six days a week, I would read twenty-four pages in a week. At this pace, I would complete the bible in fifty weeks, which is two weeks ahead of schedule!

Finally, monitor your progress. This is vital. Failure to monitor your progress can cause you to slip into the treadmill mentality. That is, you feel like you are working hard, but are still stuck in the same place you started. Without knowing how far you have come during a set amount of time can cause discouragement and can distract you from you goal.

Monitoring your progress can be as simple as writing down what you read each day on a calendar. You can be more elaborate if you like. I use Google Sheets to monitor my progress and keep track of my goal.

These are some simple suggestions that can make a big difference in accomplishing your reading goals. Feel free to use them or modify them to your daily routine. As always, to God be the glory.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks

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