A New Year of Dwelling in the Word

It's a new day in a new year. Although the calendar is a arbitrary way of slicing up time, it is the method most of us use. Each day is a new opportunity to make plans, change course, or dream new dreams. For many the idea of making resolutions in the new year is silly. If you have made resolutions in the past, but failed to keep them you might be hesitant to make new ones this year. So don't. Don't make any resolutions. Why make resolutions that you aren't going to keep.

Why not make a plan instead? Instead of a vague resolution like "I will lose weight this year." Why not come up with an actual plan? There are thousands of places that you can borrow a plan from. They all typically involve: healthy eating, exercise, and accountability. Why not select a weight loss program and ask family and friends to spend the next 6 weeks making changes? Make a plan (or borrow one). Take it one day at a time. Do it together.

Why not approach our spiritual growth in a similar fashion? As I began pondering the new year, Colossians 3:16 came to mind. Paul states, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Col. 3:16). How can I let the word of Christ dwell in me richly?

In order for the word to dwell in someone, they must dwell in the word. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). How do you dwell in the word of Christ? By reading, studying, memorizing, praying, and meditating upon the word of God.

Let's not resolve to do these things for the new year. Let's make a plan to accomplish these these things in the new year.

1. Reading the Bible in the New Year.

There are several plans out there that will take you through the whole Bible in one year. Some will take you through the New Testament in a year. Some plans last two or three years. Some plans can be completed in as little as 10-15 minutes a day, and some require much more time. Some focus on several passages, while others focus on one book at a time. Find a plan and stick to it. Invite friends and family to read with you.

Justin Taylor put together a list of Bible reading plans. You can find them here.

Ligonier Ministries also put together a list. You can find it here.

Joe Carter offered different approach to Bible reading in a year. Check it out here.

2. Study the Bible in the New Year.

Again there are several resources out there that could help you accomplish this, but I will recommend three basic resources that will help you grow in your study of the Bible.

Living by the Book by Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks
Read the Bible for Life by George H. Guthrie
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

3. Memorizing the Bible in the New Year.

Again, there are several resources available to help you with memorizing Scripture. I use Fighter Verses on my iphone, but you can access them on here.

Here are a couple of articles to encourage you: Five Tips for Bible Memory and Are We Using Our Memory for the Glory of God.

4. Praying the Bible in the New Year.

Donald Whitney's book Praying the Bible is a great resource. It is simple and straight forward. It doesn't take a lot of time to read, and can be put into to practice quickly.

5. Meditating on the Bible in the New Year.

Donald Whitney's methods of meditation is my go-to resource. You can find a copy here.


What is your plan for dwelling in Christ this year? Why not pick a Bible reading plan and print out a few copies to give to family and friends? Why not get a few resources and begin working through the process? Don't leave your spiritual growth the chance this year. Make a plan. Stick to it. Get others involved.

Note: I chose the Daily Bible Reading Plan found in the ESV Study Bible. Bro. Ray Gilliland, a mentor and friend, recommended reading through a study Bible in a year, so this year I'm hope to read through the ESV study Bible.

Scripture Reading

You have heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." While the truthfulness of that statement has never been adequately tested, it sounds pretty good. I'm surprised more Christian's have adapted to say, "A chapter a day keeps the devil away!" or "A chapter a day keeps the flesh at bay!" They're catchy phrases. However, just as a diet lacking good fiber, lean protein, and healthy carbohydrates isn't going to be overcome by the addition of a single (albeit daily) apple; a steady stream of temptation and tribulation aren't going to be overcome with a verse or two, or even a chapter.

We need to commit ourselves to read the Scripture daily. The more we read the better. Each verse is part of a chapter, each chapter is part of a book, each book is part of the canon (the books given by God). To rightly understand a verse, you must understand the context it was written in. Minimally, that means you have to read the chapter it is found in. Realistically, it means you are familiar with not only the chapter, but how the chapter fits into the book, and how that book fits into the larger storyline of the Bible.

It is never to late to start a Bible reading plan. There are dozens of them out there. I have been following Professor Grant Horner's plan. You can read about it here. Horner's plan consists of reading ten chapters a day. You can find a copy of his 10 lists here. Following this plan permits you to read through most of the Scripture at least twice, and some parts of Scripture several times more. For example, I have read through the book of Acts nearly nine times. I have read all of all of the New Testament (except John's Gospel) at least three times. I start my third trip through John tomorrow. It takes a bit longer to read through the Old Testament. I have read all of it once, and some of it multiple times. I read a chapter of Proverbs each day.

I'm not trying to brag. I have to work at keeping such a pace. Some days my reading takes me 30 minutes, others it takes an hour. Occasionally, I miss a day, but I always make them up. You don't want to get far behind when your reading 10 chapters a day.

The process of daily Bible reading helps you to learn your Bible better. A plan like Horner's helps you to see the big picture, as well as, the parts. Reading through the categories has helped me to see connections I hadn't seen before.

I have thought of altering the plan. I have consider add two more categories: the Minor Prophets and Revelation. Of course, Professor Horner's plan includes both of these, but they are in with other readings so you don't get to read them as frequently. I have also considered adjusting some of the categories so that it would be easier to multiple chapters in one book, rather than one chapter a day. I find it difficult to stop reading at the end of a chapter. But for now, I'm sticking with the plan.

 It may sound intimidating, but with some careful planning it can be done fairly easily. Whatever plan you chose, I hope you're working yourself through the Bible. As you do, it will work itself through you.

Sending the Wrong Message

I am sure by now you have heard of  Pastor Terry Jones.  He and his church plan on burning the Quran on September 11, 2010 to mark the 9th anniversary of 9/11.  He hopes that by burning the Quran that the radical fringe of Islam will know to stop being radical, and that it will show the world just how radical those radical Muslims can be.  As we would expect, Muslims all around the world are outraged.  Yet they are not alone, many spiritually open-minded people are outraged, too.  But how should we respond to this event.

This event raises important questions for us to consider.  Will burning the Quran communicate the desired message to the desired audience, and therefore have the desired result?  Should Christians burn the religious books of non-Christians?  How should we respond to our non-Christian neighbors?

The stated goal of burning the Quran is for Muslim extremists to realize that "we" don't want their kind of Islam in America.  However, will burning the Quran make such a statement? No, it won't.  It will send a message that says, "Those infidels are worse than we thought."  Almost every Muslim will understand the act of burning the Quran to be an act of blasphemy.  It is an act that stops ears, not opens them.

Not only will it cut off fruitful dialogue, but it will endanger many lives.  Gen. Petraeus has already warned that such action would increase the danger to troops in combat situations.  Others have suggested that burning the Quran would endanger missionaries, humanitarian aid workers, and other Americans in Muslim countries, too. Burning the Quran not only endangers lives, but an idea, as well.

It endangers the idea of freedom.  Since the foundation of our country, men and woman have battled for this cherished principle of freedom.  They battled their enemies at home and abroad to protect freedom.  They have battled their consciences and their prejudices until freedom spread to men and women of every race and creed.  We are a people proud to defend freedom--even the freedom to be wrong.  Burning the Quran not only endangers freedom, it endangers the Bible, too.

There is no doubt that many Bibles will be burned in response to the burning of the Quran.  However, that response is not what endangers the Bible.  Fear of the Quran endangers the Bible.  Why burn a religious book unless you fear it's power?  Burning the Quran doesn't send the message that we believe the Bible is superior to the Quran.  It sends the message that we fear what will happen if people read the Quran.  It suggests that we think that the Quran can lead Christians (and others) into Islam.  Wasn't fear of the Bible's power to convert individuals the reason why so many have tried to suppress and destroy it?

Do we need to fear the Quran? As followers of Christ, we are committed to the authority, inspiration, and sufficiency of the Bible.  We are people of "the Book," that is, the Bible.  We do not recognize the authority of other religious texts.  We believe that the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul (Ps. 19:7, KJV).  We believe that the Bible is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12).  We believe that every word was breathed out by God (2 Tim. 4:16).  And we believe that the Bible alone contains God's revelation to mankind.

So, while we may disagree with a Muslim about the nature of the Quran, we do not fear the Quran (or any other book).  God's will is able to triumph without the unnecessary showmanship of burning a Quran.  Pastor Jones is not Elijah on Mount Carmel battling the prophets of Baal.  This matter isn't really a contest between the Bible and the Quran.  It isn't even a contest between America and radical Islamic fundamentalists.  It's most likely the cry of a frustrated and beleaguered people who have mistaken their culture with Christianity.  They fear the changes in the culture signal the undermining of their faith.  But Christianity is greater than our culture.

So go ahead and burn that Quran, but know it won't send the message you hope to send.  As an American, you're free to burn a Quran, a Bible, or an American Flag, but the freedom to do so doesn't make it right.  Respect and civility are not a compromise, they're biblical principles, and they used to be American principles, too.

Thoughts Concerning Noah's Ark

A children's song says, "Who built the Ark? Noah! Noah!, Who built the ark? Brother Noah built the ark."  It seems the story of the ark has left an indelible mark on the Christian imagination (as well as in the larger world).  It's not unusual to see toy arks filled pairs of animals poking their giant heads out of tiny windows. 

Now a group is claiming to have found Noah's Ark (like other groups before), and a lot of Christians are excited.  But skeptics are already disputing the claims.  This discovery and its rejection have a lot of people up in arms.  How should we respond?  Should we be excited that the "Ark" was discovered?  Should we be disappointed if it's a hoax?

Let me start by saying, I wasn't all that impressed by the news that Noah's Ark had been discovered.  First of all, it takes more than a 4,800 year old wooden structure trapped in ice to "prove" it was the Ark.  Second of all, we need to approach any so-called evidence with more scrutiny than anybody else.  Our faith doesn't rest on evidence.  Our faith rests in the God who has revealed himself through the Bible.

I believe that the story found in Genesis 6-9 actually reports historical fact.  I believe that one man and seven members of his family were spared, by the grace of God, from His judicious wrath.  I believe that the animals went into the ark, and that the world was covered with water.  But I don't believe it because because there is a drawer, a room, or a warehouse full of artifacts that support my belief.  I believe it because the inspired, infallible Word of God says it is true.  God cannot lie.

Don't misunderstand me, I do not believe blindly.  On the contrary, I, like the man in John 9, believe because once I was blind, but now I see (spiritually speaking).  God found me when I wasn't looking for him.  My dead heart was brought back to life, and faith sprang forth where there was once only doubt and disbelief. Although I still wrestle with doubt and fear, I am confident in God's Word.

His Word is truth, because He is Truth.  The Word is sufficient, because through it the Spirit brings life as he applies to the human heart.  Ephesians 2:1-3, tells us that we were once dead in our sins, but we have been made alive in Christ.  My faith, for it is mine, was a grace gift from God and I did not create it, nor do I sustain it.  God works faith, in and through me, by the indwelling presence of the Spirit.

Applying these principles to the current news stories surrounding Noah's Ark, I have no fears.  It would be cool if they found the ark, but it would "prove" anything to the skeptics.  For that matter, it would prove anything to believers.  It would simple confirm yet another aspect of the Bible's trustworthiness.

Put your unwavering trust in the Word of God, and then demand that any so-called evidences put forth to prove (or disprove) the Bible be put to the test.  And not just any test, but the most rigorous tests available.  Make sure they are backed up by independent sources.  Call for peer review, and multiple examinations.  Then and only then, give them some attention.  But remember, your faith will not be built by artifacts, rather it is built by reading, hearing, and obeying the Word of God.

Have they found the ark?  Maybe, but probably not.  Does that mean there wasn't an ark? No, definitely not.  Will the ever find the ark (for real)? Only God knows.  Can we really (really) trust his Word? YES! Without a doubt and without hesitation.  The most important thing we can do is look to the One whom the ark foreshadowed, Jesus.  Then like Noah coming into the ark, we must come to Christ in faith and flee the wrath that is coming.