On January 1st, some friends and I embarked on a journey to read the Bible in 90 days. The task was daunting at first and required a lot of intentionality, perseverance, and endurance but as we got into a rhythm, it became a highlight of my day. We unintentionally finished Easter Weekend and it was really sweet. Here are a few things that scratch the surface of what I learned.
My biggest takeaway from the experience is that God is consistent. Society will tell us that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament and that we have to explain away His commands that don’t match our version of xyz. Going into this study, I had been exploring this topic a little bit and, intellectually, I knew that God is God regardless of the time period or circumstances. But reading His word in its full context entirety cemented it into my heart. God is wholly loving and wholly just; He does not contradict Himself or act against His nature in any way. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.
Reading everything in chronological order as it was written and seeing God’s attention to detail sparked awe and worship. This book was written by dozens of authors over thousands of years and it all tells the same story! Not to mention, it has been accurately preserved for thousands more years!
A few themes kept recurring as well.
- I am the Lord your God
- God is holy
- God’s love and faithfulness are unending
- God wants our whole heart. He asks us to love Him with all that we are
- God calls us to holiness
- God is with us
- In the Lord is rest
- God’s people are set apart and made holy in Him
- Do not be afraid
- Wait for the Lord
- God is personal — He makes Himself available and invites us to be known
- God equips His people
More and more these days, I am realizing the need for Biblical literacy among Jesus followers. The cultural conversations surrounding us today are fraught with confusion. A lot of ideologies we see coming to the forefront sound like good ideas at first but upon further examination, they aren’t consistent with God’s word. This is a much bigger conversation that we’ll probably touch on in future posts.
In the mean time. may we take the time to humble our hearts under the authority of scripture and prioritize studying the inspired and inerrant words of the Creator as He reveals more of Himself and strengthens us to take our place in the Grand Narrative.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, I highly recommend the Every Word study. You will not regret it!
Rebekah Diaddigo 