“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

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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

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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

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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

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Chronological Bible Reading Plan

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

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

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The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan

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

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan

Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

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Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan

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

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

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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

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Two-Year Bible Reading Plan

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

Duration: Two years | Download: PDF

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

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.
 

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.

God Shows Us His Love Through His Son

(Here's some wisdom from the 2nd Century; and if it sounds a little but like the Apostle John, it is probably because it was written by a disciple of John's to a young Christian by the name of Diognetus.) 

No man has ever seen God or known him, but God has revealed himself to us through faith, by which alone it is possible to see him.  God, the Lord and maker of all things, who created the world and set it in order, not only loved man but was also patient with him.  So he has always been, and is, and will be: kind, good, free from anger, truthful; indeed, he and he alone is good.

He devised a plan, a great and wonderful plan, and shared it only with his Son.  As long as he preserved this secrecy and kept his own wise counsel he seemed to be neglecting us, to have no concern for us.  But when through his beloved Son he revealed and made public what he had prepared from the very beginning, he gave us all at once gifts such as we could never have dreamt of -- even sight and knowledge of himself.

When God had made all his plans in consultation with his Son, he waited until a later time, allowing us to follow our own whim, to be swept along by unruly passions, to be led astray by pleasure and desire.  Not that he was pleased by our sins: he only tolerated them.  Not that he approved of that time of sin: he was planning this era of holiness.  When we had been shown to be undeserving of life, his goodness was to make us worthy of it.  When we had made it clear that we could not enter God’s kingdom by our own power, we were to be enabled to do so by the power of God.

When our wickedness had reached its culmination, it became clear that retribution was at hand in the shape of suffering and death.  The time came then for God to make known his kindness and power (how immeasurable is God’s generosity and love!).  He did not show hatred for us or reject us or take vengeance; instead, he was patient with us, bore with us, and in compassion took our sins upon himself; he gave his own Son as the price of our redemption, the holy one to redeem the wicked, the sinless one to redeem sinners, the just one to redeem the unjust, the incorruptible one to redeem the corruptible, the immortal one to redeem mortals.  For what else could have covered our sins but his sinlessness?  Where else could we, wicked and sinful as we were, have found the means of holiness except in the Son of God alone?

How wonderful a transformation, how mysterious a design, how inconceivable a blessing!  The wickedness of the many is covered up in the holy One, and the holiness of One sanctifies many sinners.

Letter to Diognetus (2nd century)
   

A Few Quotes on Fruit and Fullness

“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus.  Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy.  I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.” ― Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas 

Fruit by the Spirit.  The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree!  For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only *tied* on, whereas fruit *grows* on a fruit-tree.  In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accretion, but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit. –- John R.W. Stott

We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world.  We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education.  We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.  -- A.W. Tower

Fruit and fullness.  For many years now I have recited to myself every day the ninefold fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and have prayed for the fullness of the Spirit.  For the chief mark of the fullness of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control.  As I meditate every day on these graces, on this fruit of the Spirit, I have noticed recently that the first is love and the last is temperance.  Now love is self-giving and temperance is self-control.  So holiness concerns what we do with ourselves.  It is seen in the mastery of self, and the giving of self.  -- John R.W. Stott

The only claim I make is that there is nothing original in these pages.  I present no revolutionary new ideas, no easy new way of salvation.  The road is still narrow (Matt. 7:14).  I do not have the gift of softening the sting of the Christian message, of making it seem light or easily borne or quickly assimilated into prevailing modern ideas.  -- Thomas Oden

A sign of authenticity.  Love is as much a sign of Christian authenticity as is righteousness.  -- John R. W. Stott
 

Study Finds that Mainline Protestant Churches that Focus on the Gospel and Prayer are Growing; Those that Don’t Are in Decline

VirtueOnline summarizes an important study published this week in the Canadian publication, MacLeans, demonstrating that fidelity to the Bible and historic Christian orthodoxy is a key factor in whether a "mainline" congregation grows or declines:

An academic survey study of 2,225 churchgoers in Ontario, Canada, conducted over five years by Wilfred Laurier University revealed that people interpreting the Bible literally "helps increase church attendance."

The research, published in the Canadian publication MacLeans, notes that:

Answers in accord with traditional Christian orthodoxy—basic articles of faith (the ancient Creeds), the authority of Scripture, God’s visible working in the world today, the exclusivity of Christianity (Jesus as the door to eternal life), the importance of daily prayer—were tightly bound to growing life in individual churches. As well, conservative churches had a lower mean age among attendees (53 to 63), emphasis on youth groups, the presence of young families, wide participation by congregants (not only on Sunday mornings) and a commitment to evangelism.

Thus the study finds conservative theology mixed with innovative worship approaches helps Protestant churches grow congregations.

Among the key findings of the survey are:  

• Only 50% of clergy from declining churches agreed it was "very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians", compared to 100% of clergy from growing churches.
• 71% of clergy from growing churches read the Bible daily compared with 19% from declining churches.
• 46% of people attending growing churches read the Bible once a week compared with 26% from declining churches.
• 93% of clergy and 83% of worshippers from growing churches agreed with the statement "Jesus rose from the dead with a real flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb". This compared with 67% of worshippers and 56% of clergy from declining churches.
• 100% of clergy and 90% of worshippers agreed that "God performs miracles in answer to prayers", compared with 80% of worshippers and 44% of clergy from declining churches.

Read the rest of the summary on VirtueOnline. Read the original article at MacLeans.

Max Lucado: My prediction for November 9

Some important words from Pastor Max Lucado:

We are really ready for this presidential election to be over.  We’re ready for an end to the rancor and tackiness.

Voters on both sides feel frustrated, even embarrassed by it all.  There is a visceral fear, an angst about the result.  What if so and so wins?  When we wake up to November 9, post-election, when the confetti is swept away and the election is finally over, what will we see?

I have a prediction.  I know exactly what November 9 will bring.  Another day of God’s perfect sovereignty.

He will still be in charge.  His throne will still be occupied.  He will still manage the affairs of the world.  Never before has His providence depended on a king, president, or ruler.  And it won’t on November 9, 2016.  “The LORD can control a king’s mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1 NCV).

On one occasion the Lord turned the heart of the King of Assyria so that he aided them in the construction of the Temple.  On another occasion, he stirred the heart of Cyrus to release the Jews to return to Jerusalem.  Nebuchadnezzar was considered to be the mightiest king of his generation.  But God humbled and put him in “detention” for seven years.  “The kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations” (Psalms 22:28).

Understanding God’s sovereignty over the nations opens the door to peace.  When we realize that God influences the hearts of all rulers, we can then choose to pray for them rather than fret about them.  Rather than wring our hands we bend our knees, we select prayer over despair.

Jeremiah did this.  He was the prophet to Israel during one of her darkest periods of rebellion.  He was called “the weeping prophet” because he was one.  He wept at the condition of the people and the depravity of their faith.  He was so distraught that one of his books was entitled Lamentations.  But then he considered the work of God.  Note the intentionality of his words:

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
(Lam. 3:21-23)

Imitate Jeremiah.  Lift up your eyes.  Dare to believe that good things will happen.  Dare to believe that God was speaking to us when he said: “In everything God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

Many years ago, I spent a week visiting the interior of Brazil with a long-time missionary pilot.  He flew a circuit of remote towns in a small plane that threatened to come undone at the slightest gust of wind.  Wilbur and Orville had a sturdier aircraft.

I could not get comfortable.  I kept thinking that the plane was going to crash in some Brazilian jungle and I’d be gobbled up by piranhas or swallowed by an anaconda.

I kept shifting around, looking down, and gripping my seat.  (As if that would help.) Finally, the pilot had had enough of my squirming.  He looked at me and shouted over the airplane noise.  “We won’t face anything I can’t handle.  You might as well trust me to fly the plane.”

Is God saying the same to you? If so, make this your prayer:

Dear Lord,

You are perfect.  You could not be better than you are.

You are self-created.  You exist because you choose to exist.

You are self-sustaining.  No one helps you.  No one gives you strength.

You are self-governing.  Who can question your deeds?  Who dares advise you?

You are correct.  In every way.  In every choice.  You regret no decision.

You have never failed.  Never!  You cannot fail!  You are God!  You will accomplish your plan.

You are happy.  Eternally joyful.  Endlessly content.

You are the king, supreme ruler, absolute monarch, overlord, and rajah of all history.

An arch of your eyebrow and a million angels will pivot and salute.  Every throne is a footstool to yours.  Every crown is papier–mâché to yours.  No limitations, hesitations, questions, second thoughts, or backward glances.  You consult no clock.  You keep no calendar.  You report to no one.  You are in charge.

And I trust you.

Circle November 9 on your calendar and write upon it the words: Our good God rules the world.

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Pastor Lucado is correct.  It is important that we not lose sight of God's sovereignty.  He is in control.  But I also take another point from Lucado's teaching, which he may not have intended: I believe that we are, like the people of Jeremiah's day, a nation in rebellion and a nation under judgment; and that will remain true no matter who is President-elect on November 9.  So it is incumbent on Christians to pray for God's mercy on our nation and to work as never before to bring individuals to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.