Saturday, December 30, 2017

Bible Reading Plans for 2018

“YOUR WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH.” (PSALM 119:105)

Bible Reading Plans for 2018

Many Christians take the beginning of a new year to evaluate their Bible reading habits, and then change or begin a Bible reading plan.

For your convenience, here is a recommended list of easy-to-download Bible reading plans from which you might like to choose. Maybe in 2018 you will read more of the Bible each day. Perhaps you’ll slow down your reading and instead spend more time considering what you read. Whatever it is you’re looking for in a reading plan, you should find it below:

5 Day Bible Reading Program

Read through the Bible in a year, with readings five days a week.

Duration: One Year | Download: PDF

52 Week Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in a year, with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan

Read through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday. Weekends are set aside for reflection and other reading. Especially beneficial if you’re new to a daily discipline of Bible reading.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

A Bible Reading Chart

Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic, yet beautifully designed, chart to track your reading throughout the year.

Duration: Flexible | Download: PDF

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings beginning in Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Every Word in the Bible

Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.

Duration: Three years | Download: PDF

Historical Bible Reading Plan

The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel’s Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

An In Depth Study of Matthew

A year long study in the Gospel of Matthew from Tabletalk magazine and R.C. Sproul.

Duration: One year | App: Accessible on YouVersion. Download the app.

Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System

Reading ten chapters a day, in the course of a year you’ll read the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters four to five times, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, the Psalms at least twice, Proverbs and Acts a dozen times, and the OT History and Prophetic books about one and a half times.

Duration: Ongoing | Download: PDF

Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.

Duration: One or two years | Download: Website

Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan

Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan

Two readings each day; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

The Legacy Reading Plan

This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Two-Year Bible Reading Plan

Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.

Duration: Two years | Download: PDF

I hope one of these plans will help you in your Bible reading in 2018. Have a blessed new year!

Sunday, November 5, 2017

The Word That Saves

from the series "How to Live the Bible"
by Mel Lawrenz

Living the Bible is a blessing, not a burden. It is a gift, not a loss. To “live the Bible” is to draw close to our Creator, not to scale a ladder to God.

Living the Bible is an organic process, like the seed of God’s word landing in rich soil, sprouting, growing, and bringing a harvest. Life from life. Or, as John 1 puts it, speaking of Christ the Word, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Living the Bible is not about worshiping a book. It is about having the word of the living God—in Christ and in Scripture—go in deep, and make us different.

To be more precise, what we mean by “living the Bible” is continual life transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit using the implanted word of God. Let’s take that definition one phrase at a time.

Continual life transformation. Whenever we look around at life or inside ourselves and have a proper sense of dissatisfaction, that sense that things should be different, we are longing for transformation. We’d like to reshape painful circumstances, or harmful people, or sin in ourselves. This is appropriate. God wants to reshape things. Things can be different. They must be different. That is the meaning and the promise of transformation.

In 2 Corinthians Paul says: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (3:17-18). Paul does not say: “try to transform yourselves,” or “when you die you’ll be transformed,” or “you have been transformed.”

Instead, Paul proclaims a process, which is what makes perfect sense: “you are being transformed.” That means with every passing year we can become wiser, more mature, more loving, more forgiving, more honest. It means that we become more like Christ (“transformed into his image”) as we “contemplate the Lord’s glory.” And how exactly do we “contemplate the Lord’s glory”? Not with vague imaginings, but with careful scrutiny of the life and teachings of Jesus found in Scripture.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit. Studying the Bible does not lead to transformation in and of itself. A work of God’s Spirit is necessary. Many scholars who become experts in the texts of the Bible know all the words, the history, the culture of the Bible, but remain untouched if there is no acceptance by faith. The Holy Spirit is involved on the front end and the back end of Scripture.

Inspiration on the front end; illumination on the back end. The authors of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and now we must be illumined by the Holy Spirit in order to comprehend the truths it holds. Living the Bible, in other words, is a supernatural accomplishment—on both ends.

Using the implanted word of God. The epistle of James speaks powerfully about living the Bible, which we will cover in the weeks ahead. In chapter 1 James uses the phrase “the implanted word of God.” This is consistent with the teaching of Jesus, the idea of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31, and many other biblical touchstones. James says we are to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (ESV; in NIV “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you”).

We should not miss this little word: “save.” The “implanted word” can “save” us. Forget every cliche you’ve ever heard, every oversimplification of “saved.” To be saved is to be rescued. Sooner or later most people realize they cannot rescue themselves. We have all fallen overboard and need someone to throw us a life ring. We are all like people who have broken both legs and need a doctor to put the bones back together and other people to rehab us when we’re on crutches. We all must say: “I once was blind, but now I see.”

And so this little word “save” is the order of the day. Pure and simple. The world is in trouble; our society is in trouble; we are in trouble. We need to be saved. And we will be, if we “humbly accept the implanted word.”

This does not contradict the biblical truth that we are “saved” by the sacrificial death of Jesus. The wider truth is that “saving” is a God-driven action that has many layers and phases. We have been saved (Eph. 2:8). We are being saved (21 Cor. 2:15). We will be saved in the future (1 Cor. 3:15).

Disintegration, decay, and destruction do not need to have the final word. We can be rescued and healed, persevered and protected, freed and empowered. There is a word that saves—if we humbly receive it.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Why I Quit Tithing (and Why You Should Too)

By Larry Poole

Most people simply don’t understand tithing.

To many Christians, it seems like some sort of country club due. Another bill in the long list of monthly expenses.

Giving is supposed to be an act of worship that draws you closer to the heart of God.

Then why is it that the concept of tithing, giving the first 10 percent of one’s income, has become so divisive in the church?

Christians debate questions like:

IS TITHING STILL EVEN REQUIRED? WASN’T IT AN OLD TESTAMENT LAW? DIDN’T CHRIST ABOLISH THE LAW WITH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION?

SHOULD I TITHE OFF THE GROSS OR NET OF MY INCOME?

DOES GOD REALLY EXPECT ME TO TITHE IF I’M STRUGGLING IN MY PERSONAL FINANCES?

I “TITHE” MY TIME TO THE CHURCH. ISN’T THAT ENOUGH?

These questions all have the same recurring theme—what’s the least I can give and still receive God’s blessings.

When you debate these questions, you totally miss the point.

Biblical generosity isn’t about giving the minimum. It’s about surrendering it all to an all-powerful, all-loving God. A God who gave everything in his son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Randy Alcorn said it best: “Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”

Bull’s-eye.

I used to write checks to my church that looked like this: $112.14.

To the penny. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“There’s my 10 percent God. Hopefully that’ll cover the upkeep in Heaven until my next paycheck. Now bless me.”

I didn’t get it.

God didn’t need my money.

He wanted proof that He was first in my life. He wanted me to trust Him completely. He wanted to grow my faith.

And yes, He wanted to bless my finances tremendously. But only if I trusted Him completely.

As I began to mature in my spiritual walk, it all started to make sense.

Everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The more I trust Him with my finances, the more He can use me to reveal His glory. The more I get to be a conduit for His miracles, the more my faith gets to be tested and grown.

And that’s why I quit tithing.

Don’t hear me wrong. I still give the first 10 percent of my income to God through my local church. I think 10 percent is a great starting point.

But I’ve started asking a different question. A question that’s radically changing my life.

It’s no longer, “How much should I give?”

Instead, I’ve started asking, “How much should I keep?”

And I’m no different from you. I’m an average guy. I’m not a millionaire. I’m not expecting a windfall of cash from a rich relative any time in the near future.

I just recognize that my God is sufficient to meet and exceed all my needs.

I believe God when He says:

“Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.“ (Malachi 3:10b)

When the Holy Spirit prompts me, I respond.

It’s simple.

I can’t say it’s always easy. But I can promise you that it’s taking me to spiritual heights I’ve never experienced before. The character of God is being revealed to me in a whole new way.

Is it possible that you’re limiting God with your giving?

Maybe you’re obedient with the first 10 percent, but completely unwilling when the Holy Spirit prompts you further.

Perhaps God is calling you to do more financially than you’ve ever done before.

Instead of being comfortable, maybe it’s time for you to give in a way that’s going to require FAITH again.

It probably won’t be easy. But it will be worth it.

God doesn’t just want your first 10 percent. He wants your whole heart.

What are some ways God has used you as you’ve taken “faith steps” in your personal generosity?

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Larry Poole serves as the Director of Generosity for Northpark Church located in Raleigh, NC. He coaches pastors, churches, and individuals on the spiritual discipline of generosity. His passion is helping the local church become fully funded so that it can more effectively accomplish the Great Commission. You can connect with Larry on Twitter at @tweetlarrypoole or through his blog at www.larrypoolespeaks.com.

This article originally appeared on the ChurchLeaders.com website.