1. It is very important to set an appointment with God. Determine a time and place each day where you can get alone with God to read and meditate on His Word. Don't leave this to chance. If you do you will find other things crowding out the reading of the Word. Decline other invitations to steal you away from this appointment (as you would with other appointments on your calendar).
2. If you can, rise early and read. I find that as the day moves on my mind gets racing and thinking about so many other things. Sometimes later in the day its harder to settle down and concentrate and tiredness can quickly set in. This may not be true for all of us, so try to determine your own best time.
3. As you read you might find it helpful to journal. When something strikes you in your reading write about it. Putting things in words will help clarify them in your mind. As you read through each chapter you may find yourself writing several entries. After your done reading I encourage you to review what you wrote and then share (on this blog) the best teaching you learned that day.
4. Let your reading lead you to prayer. If a verse moves you, talk to God about it. If a verse speaks about God's great love, thank Him for that love, or tell Him you want to know it more, or whatever. Remember, your goal is not to just get through the reading, but to fellowship and learn from God. You can fight the temptation to "just get my reading done" by making this a time of communion with God.
5. It helps to be looking for certain things as you read. An acrostic "SPECK" was introduced to me many years ago which I found helpful. "S" stands for sins to confess; "P" stands for promises to claim; "E" stands for example to follow; "C" stands for command to obey; "K" stands for knowledge about God, Christ or yourself (in light of who God and Christ are). So....as you read look for sins to confess, promises to claim (according to Peter claiming these leads to godliness), examples to follow, commands to obey, and knowledge about your God and Savior.
6. Of all things to look for in your reading, look for God. After all the Bible is His book and through it He reveals Himself to us. And when you learn something about God from His book remember that "every attribute of God informs your living". If you learn that God is powerful let that knowledge encourage you in your weakness. If you learn that He is wise, let that encourage you to ask of Him for guidance when the path is not clear.
7. If you find you are struggling to get all the reading done, consider cutting the assignment in half. Read through the Bible in two years. Take the first two columns of M'Cheyenne's and read them this year, and read the last two next year. If you miss a day or two don't worry about it. Read what's assigned for today so that you can benefit from the insights of others as they are shared day by day. But before you decide to "downsize" your goal, consider how you are using your other time. If you are spending a lot of time playing video games, or surfing the net, or watching the tube....that may be the best place to begin your downsizing.
These are my thoughts. What things have helped you in the past?
Yours for your success this year,
Ron
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