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About Bible Readings
What Stood Out |
I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food (Job 23:12). Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jer. 15:16). The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward (Ps. 19:7-11). A king ... shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them (Deu. 17:14,19). Jesus Christ ... hath made us kings (Rev. 1:1,6). Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Rev. 1:3). Job well valued the words of God as more than his necessary food. When we are in times of turmoil, such as he was then and we are now, the more likely we are to recognize the Word of God as necessary for survival, as it truly is. This has been true all along, but during times of peace and prosperity we often forget the God who blesses us. The psalmist penned, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes (Ps. 119:71). Undoubtedly that is at least some of why we are in turmoil today. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it (Amos 8:11-12). If we persist in valuing the treasures of this earth and the pleasures of this world more than the Word of God, He will give us the desires of our heart. This is what the prophet Amos was warning about. And this is the condition in which the nation of Israel had found itself when the prophet Samuel as a boy did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest (I Sam. 2:11). And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious [rare] in those days; there was no open vision (I Sam. 3:1). When we run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD and do not find it, it is because our hearts are so callous that we look in the wrong places. This was the case with Saul. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor (I Sam. 28:6-7). Saul learned nothing more than what God had told him before, which he had rejected. There was also a famine ... of hearing the words of the LORD in the days of Jeremiah. But Jeremiah looked in the right place, and expressed his gratitude to the LORD: Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jer. 15:16). When those around us are looking in all the wrong places and failing to find the Word of the LORD, we can turn to the Bible and find His Word to be the joy and rejoicing of our heart. The more we read the words of the LORD, the more we will say with the psalmist David, More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Ps. 19:10). This is because, as Jesus said, The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). When something is the joy and
rejoicing of our heart, when it is more
to be desired ... than gold, when it is sweeter
also than honey to us, what do we do? We naturally
gravitate to it -- it is something we want to experience at every
opportunity we get, certainly every day. The psalmist wrote of the
blessed ... man whose delight is
in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and
night. ... Jesus Christ ... hath made us kings (Rev. 1:1,6). A king of Israel was to write him a copy of this law ... and ... read therein all the days of his life (Deu. 17:14-20). The purpose of this was to keep him obedient to God and humble toward his brethren (v. 20). The least we can do for Jesus, who hath made us kings, is to honor Him by reading His Word each day. Jesus Christ ... hath made us ... priests (Rev. 1:1,6). The priests of Israel were to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses (Lev. 10:11). The hand of Moses had written them to be read. The priests had to read them in order to teach them to their fellow Israelites. Jesus Christ ... hath made us ... priests (Rev. 1:1,6) to teach others also (II Tim. 2:2). He said: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ... to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Matt. 28:19-20). To do this, we have to read all the things that He commanded us. And to teach something we have to read and reread it to keep it fresh in our minds. Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel ... said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day (I Kings 22:2-5). As kings, reading the word of the LORD was something they were supposed to be doing on the to day of every day. As a godly king, Jehoshaphat may have been doing this, but this day he felt a special need to inquire ... at the word of the LORD, because he had been called to battle, and could not afford any delay for help. We, too, see the battle before us, and likewise cannot afford to put off seeking the help of God. In fact, if we had been seeking God all along, we could have avoided some of the troubles we have found ourselves in. Has
an emergency arisen before you have had time to read the Bible
today? If you have been faithful in daily Bible reading, you
will have wisdom from God to deal with the emergency. Then you
can look
for the first opportunity to read it after dealing with the
emergency. Have you overslept or for some other reason run out
of time to read the Bible before going to work? Look for
the first available opportunity, such as a lunch break or
other break, or after work if necessary. Don't do it during
work time -- that would be stealing time from your employer.
Carrying a Bible in your car or using your cell phone to
access the Bible will make it convenient to read it when you
find legitimate time available. The purpose of this website is to call attention to the vital importance of the Word of God, and to help people develop the habit of reading the Bible every day. The site is set up with a format for reading through the Bible in a year, with a reading specified for each day. The reading schedule used here was developed by Dr. John A. Hash, the founder of Bible Pathway Ministries. The average reader can complete a day's reading in 15 minutes. I am a slow reader, but find it well worth the time even if it takes me 20 or more minutes of reading per day. Those who wish to take longer than a year to read through the Bible can follow the readings at their own pace. I personally do not want to wait more than a year between consecutive passes through each part of Scripture. This brings up the subject of reading through the Bible more than once in one's lifetime. There are many books that one would not be inclined to read more than once. But the Bible is different. It is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). It is inexhaustible. For years now I have been reading through the Bible each year, and each day I find something I had not noticed before or something I had forgotten from a previous reading. Sometimes it seems that the more times I read it, the more there is that stands out each time. The What Stood Out section of this website is designed to aid the reader who may desire help in sharpening his skill of finding something new in the Scripture each day. It is common for a person to start
out being enthusiastic to read through the Bible, and to be
faithful at it for a while, but to get bogged down and quit in
books such as Leviticus. This is where cross references
(comparing spiritual things with spiritual) can be helpful to
keep one's interest. Referring to other parts of Scripture can
help a reader better understand the passage he is reading, how
it can be relevant, and how it can be helpful in his life.
Cross references can also be a good tool for
pastors, teachers, and others who want to study and come to a
deeper and more thorough understanding of the Scriptures and
to share it with others. This
web site includes a growing set of cross references, which are
currently found in the What
Stood Out (Daily or Chapters)
section. As time becomes available, the goal is to include
these in an official cross references section along with a
fuller set of cross references. The Lord will bless you as you make Bible reading an indispensable priority in your life.
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