Being a pastor, I do quite a lot of Bible Study. But I'd like to talk about something other than studying the Bible. I'm talking about simple Bible reading regularly. Both reading and study are beneficial, but understanding the difference will help us determine what our quest will be. If you'd like to make regular Bible reading a part of your life, it will be helpful to set some realistic expectations for yourself so that you will be successful in your quest.

Bible Reading Plans, I was blessed to grow up in a home where Bible reading was commonplace. I regularly observed my parents and grandparents with their Bibles in their laps, an amazing image for any child. But even with that foundation it still took me a long time to understand a few strategies that make Bible reading very simple. Let me share some of them with you.

Follow a Reading Plan

There are so many reading plans out there, and they are all great. You can even customize your plan at YouVersion.com (there is a free app for this on the iPhone as well). I tried that but found that for me, the most basic of plans is what works. So I typically follow the reading plan outlined by the Church of the Highlands (the URL is listed at the bottom of this article for your convenience). I always click on the link at the left of their page that says "Read All Passages" which takes me right to Bible Gateway, and there the daily reading is all laid out.

This is the first rule of thumb for having a guilt-free experience. There may be a day or two here and there (let's be honest - a month or two) that you may miss your daily Bible reading. Don't worry about it. If that happens, just jump right back in at the current day's reading. Don't fall into thinking you have to make up all the reading you missed! That is a burden that no one is putting on you. That's what will cause you to throw in the towel altogether and just think, "Well, this year's lost, guess I'll just wait until the new year." If you miss a single day, you may decide to go ahead and make it up the next. But if you miss more than 2 or 3, I highly recommend that you just move on. It only takes about 15 minutes a day.

If you're new at this, it may come as a surprise that you can read through the entire Bible with such a small investment of time. Again, we're simply talking about Bible reading, not Bible study. One is not better than the other -- each serves its intended purpose. And you'll find that sometimes your Bible reading will inspire you to further study one of the passages you've read that day. But for our particular "Bible Quest," I'm going to stay on the subject of reading for now. Bible Reading = Spending time with God.

What you need to understand is that the Word of God IS God. So if you're spending time reading His Word, you are spending time in His presence. You will be amazed at how quickly you learn to recognize the sound of His voice. I've found it so beneficial to ask Him, before I begin the reading, to speak to me and to reveal to me the meanings of all I read. I believe you should do the same.

God does not love us more when we read the Bible more. Does our faith grow? Yes. Does our strength grow? Yes. Just remember that His grace and favor are given to us not because of our goodness, but because of His goodness. If we keep that straight, then our life will be much more enjoyable. We don't earn His love or His blessings. He gives them freely to us because of what Jesus did, not because of what we do.

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