Bible in a Year - DONE!

I just closed the book after reading my final pages! I really liked this version of a yearly Bible as it provided some additional commentary at times to explain some of the background of the books, items of cultural significance, political/military climate, etc. Additionally, the editors of The Daily Bible attempted to place the writings in chronological order which added a unique dynamic to the reading experience.

Some key observations after dedicating this past year to reading through the entire Bible...

• I definitely needed the accountability provided by Brent & Eric. If you are tackling a major challenge - spiritual or otherwise - it is good to have friends walking alongside you to encourage and challenge you.
• There are sections of Scripture I had never read before...just being honest! Most of the unread sections were in the major prophets of the Old Testament.
  
• I enjoyed Revelation more than in previous readings. Maybe it was because I read it in one sitting one relaxing morning while enjoying a cup of coffee.
• No matter how many times I read Scripture, there is always something new I learn or some new realization I make. There were too many to share from this past year!

I would encourage each of you to embrace a major spiritual growth challenge. I'm still trying to figure out mine for 2008, but I am leaning towards writing a Men's Devotional book. This would get me into the Word on a daily basis while also applying my own experiences and thoughts to the Scripture. I've always wanted to be an author; this could be the first step!

Bible in a Year

Only 17 more daily readings to complete, and I will have read the entire Bible in 2007! I have been reading a couple of daily readings each day, so I should be done well before Christmas Day.

Now I have to figure out my personal spiritual challenge for next year...any suggestions?

Prayer of Agur

In Proverbs 30, we find the sayings of Agur. To be honest, there is very little known about this man. We can infer from his opening comments that he has a healthy respect for God and, as we discover later in the chapter, a keen awareness of the world around him. Two attributes that we should all pursue...

The passage that I was drawn to this morning was his prayer in verses 7-9:

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

I think we would all benefit from praying this simple prayer. How different our lives would look if we constantly pursued honesty & integrity in all our relationships and actions, and if we became truly content with what we need rather than pursuing what we want. In fact, this prayer bears a remarkable resemblance to another prayer we all know...

"Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:9-13)

YouVersion

Interested in a new on-line Bible study tool? Check out www.youversion.com.

It isn't fully-functional yet, but it looks like it will be a useful tool even as it gets developed. At this time, it allows you to search multiple versions (although not the NIV or TNIV), maintain a private journal, and collaborate with other people around the world on specific verses through text, image, and video posts.

Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think.