creation

Eat This Book

This year marks the 12th year since I began reading the Bible on a daily basis, going from Genesis to Revelation. I completely wore out one Bible and was working on my second one when I discovered reading the Bible on-line. I now love the flexibility of the reading plans and Bible versions, so I am hooked. But I still like to carry my regular Bible (book) with me to church on Sundays.

And why read the Bible, let alone daily? For me, it is all about a personal relationship with Jesus, a way to commune with God, to know my Creator, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, my Savior! How can we fellowship with the Lord if we don’t get to know Him? And that I why I read the Bible daily. And my ultimate aim, my hope is to become more like Jesus: forgiving, compassionate, kind, considerate, gentle, hopeful, full of grace – love – JOY – and mercy! As I age, I am seeing it is getting a little easier, but I have such a long way to go!

This past year, when I started reading the New Testament, I felt like I was finally eating dessert! I do love the Old Testament, especially the Psalms and Proverbs, but mainly for the stories of Creation, Noah, Abraham, Joshua, the history of Israel, Deborah, King David, King Solomon, and the book of Ecclesiastes. Ok, maybe a few more stories (Jonah, Job, Lott, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, oops, guess I could go on and on)! But staying with it daily started to feel like I was eating at a buffet that is a bit warmed over and the food needs to be refreshed. Well, that has been how started to feel this last year, so I decided it was time to change reading plans. Or maybe I felt this way because of some of life’s circumstances….That’ll be another post!

I have really enjoyed reading the Bible in Chronological order, but I have now done it three years in a row. I wondered if I would ever get tired of it. And I guess in a way, I finally have. So I looked over the different plans in my YouVersion Bible App. And one just jumped out at me, called, Eat This Book. Well, the title was not so inviting (if you know me, you know I am not a foodie), but I liked the description:

Following aspects of the traditional Jewish order in the Old Testament, this Eat This Book reading plan offers a sustainable reading pace, allowing you to experience first the Old Testament and then the New Testament in one year. Each day, you’ll explore an average of four chapters, and you’ll close your time in prayer by reading a Psalm.

I am now on day 4 and am loving it! And guess what, Genesis feels like an appetizer, preparing me for a fabulous feast! And now I understand how they named this reading plan, Eat This Book!