Week 12 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

So this is my final post on reading the Bible in 90 days.  I have completed my reading!  After 85 days of hard, intensive reading, I have finally read every single word of God's special revelation!  This has been an incredible journey of learning new things and rediscovering favorite passages.  It doesn't mean that I stop reading though, in fact, this challenge has helped me to become more committed to longer devotional times. 

Some of you may have noticed that this post is on a Tuesday not on the normal Monday but we had a little adventure last night.  Sweetpea has been sick since Sunday morning and last night ran 105 degrees fever and was vomiting.  She and I spent the night at the emergency room with IV antibiotics and fluids to keep her hydrated and came home early this morning.  Now when we left for the ER, I was at the beginning of 2 Peter but after waiting in a room without seeing a doctor for over two hours, I finished my reading!  Sweetpea slept in my arms while God used Scripture to keep my focus on Him and His unchanging, unflinching Love and Grace instead of the scary unknown of being in the hospital.  I definitely felt more at peace about Sweetpea's illness even while reading through Revelation and the time felt like it passed quickly.  I am so glad that I reached across the desk and grabbed my Bible before heading out the door.

It is exciting to have completed this challenge and am looking forward to doing this again in the future.  Reading in book order has definitely been fun way to read Scripture.  If you are continuing to read, press on to the end!  It is worth every sacrifice that I have made to completely read my Bible.

Week 11 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Wow!  During week 11 of reading the Bible in 90 days, I finished all four gospels and began in Acts yesterday.  It was so exciting to read each Gospel and to hear the different viewpoints of the same event.  I am actually about half a day ahead in my readings because I can't seem to make myself stop, which is a very good thing!
In church yesterday, our pastor's message was out of John 17, which I had just read on Saturday so it was neat to hear a great message from where I was currently reading.

As I read through the Gospels and the beginning of Acts, I have realized how many prophecies are fulfilled and how many times the Old Testament is quoted by Jesus and the disciples.  Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection is powerful every time I would read each passage.  It just saddened me how few people understood who Jesus was and how the religious rulers completely missed the boat.  Even the disciples at times were completely dense, which I have to admit, makes me feel better about myself.  Although, I do have the advantage of knowing the entire story as it unfolds while they were living out each moment.  If I were to finish with the schedule, there is only one and a half weeks of reading left but I hope to finish by the end of this week!  It would be awesome to finish early.  If you are reading as well, even if you got a late start, let me know how you are doing.  Stay strong and keep reading!

Week 10 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

I am officially into the New Testament this week and completely caught up on my readings.  This week started out a little tough with the Old Testament prophets but ended with the completion of Matthew.  The reading schedule put into perspective how much of the Bible is actually Old Testament.  I know too many Christians tend to ignore the Old and just focus on the New Testament but every word is in our Bible for a reason.  I do have to admit that I was glad to read through the prophets because that is a section I've tended to avoid.  After reading through them, I have decided that when this challenge is completed, I would like to do a more in-depth study of the prophecies and of the history of Israel. 
As I crossed into the New Testament on Friday, I couldn't help but inwardly cheer because I had completed the "harder" sections for me.  While reading in Matthew, it was exciting to see the prophecies that I had just read earlier in the week be fulfilled by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  There are 2 1/2 weeks left on the reading schedule and I am looking forward to finally being able to say that I have read every single word in God's Word!  If you are just starting out, or had a later start, stay strong and read to the end!

Week 9 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Week nine of reading the Bible in 90 days is over which means I am 64 days into this challenge.  I have to admit that the prophets are giving me such a hard time but it has also been tougher to read while with my family.  I don't get to see them very often now that we live farther away and so finding time was really a sacrifice.  Although I managed to read some each day, I am still behind but hope to catch up when we arrive back home tomorrow. 
I really had a hard time reading in Jeremiah and Ezekiel this week and am still fighting my way through Ezekiel even though I was supposed to be in Daniel yesterday. These books make me realize how God is a jealous God for His people and does not take lightly our sins.  As I read this week, I was struck at the many times that God tried to get the people's attention and how easily they still fell into idolatry.  Obedience and faithfulness to Him are such a key component to a growing relationship. 
Even though I struggle to read and understand, I am not going to give up and want to be able to read through these prophet books without falling any more behind.  Maybe when the challenge is finished, I will try to come back and study the prophecies a little more in depth or even look into Israel's history.
If you are reading, I hope you continue to push through, even when you fall behind.  I know that finishing the Bible will be worth it all!

Week 8 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

This week I read through the rest of Isaiah and most of Jeremiah.  It has been another week of falling behind since Buddy, Sweetpea, and I are visiting family.  I couldn't seem to find a good time to read when I wasn't falling asleep.  It is hard to give up the chatting time to go read but finally I made myself stop and go try to catch up.  I am about a day and a half behind but am working diligently to keep on track.

I am struggling a little to read these books for understanding but am praying that even by just reading, that God will speak to my heart through His Word.  The story of Hezekiah is repeated in Isaiah and it strikes me again about how after Isaiah prophesizes about the coming exile to Babylon, Hezekiah's response is that at least it will be peaceful in his days (Isaiah 39:8).  Even though Isaiah's prophesy included the that some of his sons will be taken away to Babylon, his response was still "The word of the Lord which you have spoken to me is good!".  I do not understand how he could not be worried about his children's future after his death.  Hezekiah's short-sightedness saddens me that any parent could be so nonchalant about their child's future well-being.  I did enjoy reading Isaiah 61 since it is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah; I love the part about setting the captives free and giving beauty for ashes. 

I am still in the process of reading Jeremiah but read through Jeremiah 29:11 today.  Jeremiah 29:11 is a very quoted verse but I like it for a different reason than most.  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" is the part that I love.  I am a planner...a list maker...a make a 12 step process to achieve goals person and love that God has plans.  He has plans for me plans that I may not fully understand yet but He has things that He wants us to do.  Having plans means that He has taken the time to think about me and my life.  It also means that I need to take the time to pray before making decisions to keep in God's plan for me. 

Again, I challenge you to read God's Word and dive in to see what He has to say to you!

Week 7 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

It is hard to believe that seven weeks have passed and that I am now over halfway through reading the Bible.  Such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment floods my heart as I look at the placement of my bookmark.  Even though this challenge has been tough at times, there is no way I would give up now.  I've come to far to let anything keep me from finishing God's Word completely in 90 days. 

This week was the end of Psalm and I loved how various praise songs kept popping into my head as I would read.  It was interesting to see the Bible verses that inspired the songs that we sing in church today.  Since we have a musical family, this was especially fun for me and I enjoyed having those songs stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Proverbs is always a fun book to read but what stuck out to me as I was reading was how many times a contentious woman is mentioned.  Four times something that is better than a contentious woman (Proverbs 21:9, 21:19, 25:24, 27:15) is mentioned.  Whether it was dripping water or the wilderness, it was a reminder to me to make sure that I guard my heart against bitterness and anger.  I think women especially have trouble with bitterness because we dwell and stew over the littlest of grievances and I never want to have a contentious heart.  Proverbs 14:1 states "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."  I want to be the wise woman who builds up my husband and children and makes it a safe refuge from the world.  The book of Proverbs ends with the Proverbs 31 woman that every woman wishes she could be.  I struggle though with verse 15 because I am not a morning person; I am a "I need at least 1 cup of coffee before I can think clearly" person.  I don't know if I'll ever be able to rise while it is still dark with a joyful heart but I will keep trying.

This week I also read through Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.  The theme for Ecclesiastes is that everything is meaningless and it is depressing to read until the very last two verses (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)  The book is summed up: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."  Life is meaningless without fearing God and following His ways.  The idea that kept playing in my mind as I read through Song of Solomon was do not awaken desire until its time.  This book is a celebration of marital love but contains the admonition to wait until the time is proper to awaken love.  Society could take a lesson from that idea and I want to guard both Sweetpea and Buddy from being swept up in a culture that says it is okay to give away your heart over and over. 

The book of Isaiah was started yesterday and it has been a good read so far.  I think I say this every week but read God's Word!  Take the time to read every word, even if you can't do it in 90 days.  God's Word will not return void!

Week 6 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

I have finally caught up on my reading this week.  It took me a while because I got a little hung up trying to understand Job but I am on target again.  We've read through Esther, Job, and are, as of today, 108 chapters into Psalm. 

Esther is definitely one of my favorite books in the Bible because I love how God used her to save His chosen people from Haman.  "...for such a time as this", Esther was chosen to be the queen and had the courage to go before the king to reveal Haman for who he is.  I also love the irony when Haman thinks that the king wants to honor him but instead honors Mordecai.  It must have galled Haman to have to watch Mordecai be honored in the way he coveted. 

I have also enjoyed reading through Psalm and have to say that Psalm 13 still reverberates deep in my soul.  "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord's praise, for He has been good to me." Psalm 13: 5-6.  The psalm starts out asking how long will God forget and hide His face and ends so triumphantly.  I can't read this without thinking of the Shane and Shane Psalms CD and singing their version of this psalm.  The Psalms CD is an awesome CD that I highly recommend you check out if you've never heard it before.   I am looking forward to continuing to read through Psalm this next week!

Week 5 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Week five of reading was an interesting week.  I thought I would use the time that Jon was out of town for a conference to read ahead but with the very unusual snow that we had this week, that plan went out the window.  Instead, I am currently a day behind in reading which is good because I was almost 3 days behind on Saturday.  Being behind really frustrates me since it is really hard to catch up with this much to read each day. 

Perserverance is something I'm not always the best at and thoughts of defeat sometimes overwhelm me.  Yesterday it hit me though that this can't be something that I give up on so easily.  This is God's Word and it should be important to continue even if I finish in 92, 93 or even 100 days.  I plan to pick up the pace and try to catch up by the end of next week.  If you are reading also, I pray that you press on through even the hard times and finish strong! 

Week 4 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Week four of reading the Bible in 90 days is officially over.  It was a tough week of reading through 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, and 2nd Kings.  King David, the man after God's own heart, reigned yet he still messed up with Bathsheba.  I don't know what must have been going through Bathsheba's mind as she must have realized how David covered up their affair.  He had her husband killed yet she still became his wife. 

Reading 1st and 2nd Kings was hard.  Keeping track of the different kings of Israel and Judah was a challenge but main theme of these books was how people fail.  I couldn't help but be amazed at how God didn't just destroy the nation and start over.  A few of the kings were decent and tried to lead the people in following the Law but they didn't remove the high places.  The high places were where the idols were worshipped and, by not completely destroying those places, the kings were in a way condoning idol worship. 

I can't help but wonder after reading about these high places, how many "high places" I have in my life.  Here the people are trying to worship God and they had to be distracted by the idols in their peripheral vision.  What distracts me from worshipping wholeheartedly?  What do I need to tear down to completely follow Christ?  These are the questions that I have been dwelling on this week.  Maybe we all should look for the high places and start tearing them down and focus on the One True God.

Week 3 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

  I have completed week three of reading the Bible in 90 days and am feeling amazed at how much easier it has been than I thought it would be.  Yes, there have been hard parts and the readings are long but after 3 weeks, I've settled into a routine.  On this past Friday, I needed to change my driver's license over to our new state and I instinctively grabbed the book I was reading for fun and a magazine.  I realized quickly that my Bible needed to come first since I would be waiting during nap time, my normal reading time.  So while at the Department of Motor Vehicles, waiting for forever, I read my Bible.  That was the easiest and best wait I've had and the time flew by while I was immersed in God's Word.  I was even able to read ahead a little which helped me stay on track on Sunday.  We are now currently in 2nd Samuel.  That means this week we finished Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and 1st Samuel.  There are a lot of themes covered over those four books.

Joshua starts out with the phrase "be strong and courageous" or "be strong and of good courage" repeated over and over.  I think God wanted to get his point across.  He knew that the Israelites were going to need their strength and courage to settle into the promised land.   It saddens me to read the book of Judges because the people kept making awful mistakes and falling away from God.  The people would sin and turn away from the Lord, God would allow them to be oppressed, they would cry out to God for deliverance, and He would raise up a judge to rescue them.  Over and over, God's faithfulness to an unfaithful people is demonstrated.  Ruth is a beautiful story of redemption and commitment.  I admire Ruth's courage to leave all that she knew and follow Naomi because I know I would have been like Orpah: too scared or unwilling to leave my family behind.  Finally, 1st Samuel covers Hannah's obedience in giving her first born Samuel back to the Lord, Saul's disobedience, and the beginning of the story of David.  Buddy's favorite Bible story right now is David and Goliath.  I had to smile as I read that section in a non-picture Bible for the first time in a long time. 

Each part of the Bible has had a different impact on me and I am looking forward to continuing in 2nd Samuel this week.  I challenge each and every person has read this post to open their Bible and read.  You may not be able to read it all in 90 days but start reading.  God can reveal Himself to you in a new way!

Week 2 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

This has been a hard week of reading to stay focused but I have been encouraged with the knowledge that I am up to date with reading.  Every other reading plan that I have tried, I have missed several days by the end of week two because of the shorter readings and telling myself that it will be easy to catch up.  I can't do that with this challenge and it is such an awesome feeling to realize that I have read the Bible every day for 15 days. 

I finished reading Deuteronomy today and can't believe that in two weeks I have read 5 full Old Testament books.  Numbers was a hard read, to be honest, but to realize how big the Israelite nation was is incredible.  No wonder Pharaoh began to be intimidated by them.  These books have been full of rules and guidelines for God's chosen people and part of me sighs and says "I am so glad I didn't live back then!"  I've also been struck by how God demands complete obedience immediately and have thought all week about this.  I want to be completely and whole- heartedly obedient to God and my desires should reflect His desires.  Moses was an incredible Godly man yet in one moment of pride was disobedient and was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.  I wonder how many times my pride has kept me from experiencing the fullness of God working through me.

The excitement that I am feeling at setting aside time to read God's word is wonderful.  I have been enjoying checking in with my mentoring group also.  Knowing that as I am reading and praying for the members of my group, that there are others out there reading and praying for me keeps me encouraged. 

Even if you don't think you can read the Bible in 90 days, I hope you are still reading God's Word!

Week 1 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

Week 1 of Reading the Bible in 90 days was an awesome week.  I was worried about how long it was going to take and decided to read during nap time.  Sweetpea and Buddy both nap after lunch and normally nap time lasts at least an hour so it was perfect.  I actually thought the weekends would make it easier to read but having Jon home ended up being a distraction.  (Sorry Jon, it isn't your fault that I like to talk!)  I missed reading on Saturday and spent Sunday catching up.  Missing that one day though showed me that I don't want to miss again so I'm going to be that much more determined this weekend. 

I am amazed that I have already finished Genesis and Exodus this week and I love the momentum that I am feeling.  Reading the Bible like a novel has refreshed my perspective of what an awesome God we serve.  His provision for the Israelite nation over and over reveals His faithfulness in keeping His promises.   The specifications for the tabernacle in Exodus are so detailed and lavish.  I can't help but think about how exhilarating it must have been to have the Lord dwell so closely and visibly while the Israelites were in the desert.

I'm looking forward to continuing to read through the second week and pray that I will stay on track.  This pace of reading is challenging but since I can't make up the readings easily, I am that much more determined to be on schedule.  If you are interested in reading the Bible in 90 days, it still isn't too late to start!

Day 1: Reading the Bible in 90 days and Buddy's Memorization

Today was Day 1 of a 90 day journey to read the Bible through cover to cover.  I sat down to read during nap time after a morning that had been very hectic.  I think Sweetpea and Buddy are 'recovering' from vacation and it is taking us a little time to settle back into our routine.  At first, I was a little overwhelmed thinking about how long it was going to take and about things that needed to be done around the house.  I finally reminded myself that this is a commitment that takes priority over laundry and dishes and started reading.  After finishing the first 16 chapters of Genesis, I felt so great and am looking forward to tomorrow!  Today did open my eyes a little to how easy it would be to give up and focus on things that don't matter so I'm going to make the commitment that this is a priority and should have been a long time ago!

On a different subject, Buddy was finally in the mood to say his verses from Christmas on camera.  He memorized Luke 2:11 and Isaiah 9:6 during the month of December.  Because both verses start with 'For' he sometimes gets a little confused but I think for a 2 1/2 year old, he is doing great!  Hope you enjoy the videos!

Isaiah 9:6

Luke 2:11

Reading the Bible in 90 days

So confession time...I, as a youth pastor's wife, have never read the entire Bible.  Every year, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read the Bible in a year.  What ends up happening is I'll do great for about a month and then miss a day.  I'll think "I'll catch up tomorrow, the readings aren't that long" then tomorrow turns into a week and then so forth.  I've read a lot of the books, all of the New Testament and most of the Old at different points but never in order.  I tend to get bogged down in the prophets and in the sections with names.
 

Then I saw on Mom's Toolbox site, a challenge to Read the Bible in 90 Days beginning January 3rd.  90 days...it seems like a long time but it isn't really.  After thinking and praying about this for a while, I signed up.  I'm excited because it is a huge commitment (45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours of reading a day) but I am an avid reader, if you couldn't tell, and I think having longer readings will help.  I was also convicted at how I've easily spent 45 minutes reading other books for fun.  Why not read the Bible straight through like a novel?  It will definitely put things into context and be easier to keep up with where I am at in my readings.  Plus, if you sign up through Mom's Toolbox, you'll be put into an accountability group to check in every week on your progress.  Love it!

I challenge you as you are thinking about your New Year's Resolutions to sign up for Read the Bible in 90 Days.  And if you do, let me know and we'll have double accountability!