Summer Bible Reading Plan: Ruth thru 2 Kings!

First post! How appropriate that it has to do with God’s Word!

There are times when I have a really hard time reading the Bible. I’m a goal-oriented person, and if I don’t have an objective, I feel like I’m wandering aimlessly. This is especially true when it comes to reading God’s Word.

I’ve tried to follow different Bible reading plans, and I can never finish one. Whether it’s free Bible studies on websites like She Reads Truth, or one of the Navigators Bible reading plans,  (both excellent resources, btw) I just can’t stick with it.

Clearly there is a lack of discipline in my life. Having to finish in a set amount of time is too much pressure for me. But I am learning to not give up. Better to lag behind than to not attempt something at all!

Discipline in reading the Word is like a muscle – you have to work it! So I set out a couple of months ago just to read Hebrews. No plan, no commentary, just me, my Bible and the Holy Spirit. And when I finished with that I read 1 and 2 Peter. I just finished up John’s epistles. And man, God has spoken to me! I’ve had some deep times in the Word. Things are connecting for me in ways that they have never before. I find myself quoting these Scriptures as I pray and I know that I am internalizing the Word. I’ll be sharing a little bit about what I’ve learned through these epistles here in the next couple of days.

I finished 3 John yesterday and had a delicious predicament this morning – what do I read next? I sat in my kitchen with coffee in hand excitedly browsing my Bible’s table of contents. (Who am I??) I was interested in reading something about Elisha and Ahab and Jezebel, which is in 2 Kings. I thought, how can I read 2 Kings, and not 1 Kings? (I just can’t stand asymmetry.) And then as I was flipping through the pages I realized that part of King David and Solomon’s stories are in Kings and in 1 and 2 Samuel, so why not read those too? And isn’t Ruth David’s grandmother, so why not start there? (I decided to hold off on 1 and 2 Chronicles for now.)

I know, I’m a total nerd, but I could feel God delight in me as I delighted in the prospect of reading his Word. I did a little math: It’s 5 books-96 chapters total. There are 60 days till September 1st. That’s about a chapter and a half a day to get through the whole thing. That is doable!

And if I finish on September 15, so what? Isn’t the official end of summer around September 20th or something? The point is to commit and finish!

Do you have commitment issues when it comes to reading God’s Word, too? Join me! I plan to write about what God shows me and I would love to hear your thoughts.