2024 Challenge: Read the Entire Bible During 2024

Have you made your New Year's resolutions? I have no resolutions to share with you, but I do have two challenges for the new year. In this blog, I'm going to share the first challenge. In a follow up blog which I plan to write in a few days, I will share the second challenge. I have issued these two challenges to myself. With the help of God and through His grace, I will fulfill them both.

My first challenge which is the title of this blog is to read the entire Bible during 2024. This is an old practice for me, one that I have done for probably the last ten years at least. Reading the entire Bible during each calendar year has yielded a host of blessings and benefits in my life. This is why I commend this challenge to everyone.

I want to share some of the blessing and benefits that I have received from reading the entire Bible each year. My list is not intended to be exhaustive, but the ones I list are significant.

• Your overall knowledge of the Bible will increase. What does the Bible say? When I hear someone say, "The Bible says...," do I have enough knowledge of the Bible to know if their statement about the Bible is accurate or inaccurate? Repetition of anything increases proficiency whether it be reading the Bible or performing a task. The simplest and best way to know what the Bible says is to read the Bible.

• Your understanding of what you read in the Bible will be enhanced. Knowledge devoid of understanding is basically information. Information is good, but only when we understand what to do with and how to use the information we have. One of the most important verses in the Bible that pertains to reading the Bible is found in 2 Timothy 2:15. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV). "Rightly dividing," the term used in the KJV, or "handling accurately," the term used in some other translations, requires understanding. The more you read the Bible, the better you will understand what you have read.

• You will have a more holistic view of the Bible. Understanding that the Bible is one book is very important in reading the Bible. There are two testaments containing 66 individual books, but it is one divinely inspired book which is God's infallible word. To reap the full measure of the blessing and benefits of the word of God, we must develop a holistic understanding of the Bible.

• You will be better equipped to properly apply the Bible to your life. The Bible is written for us to properly instruct and guide us in this thing we call life. It is interesting and at times even entertaining, but the surpassing value of the Bible lies in its application. It is not those who read the Bible who are saved; it is those who read it, repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ who are saved. The more you read the Bible, the better equipped you are to properly apply it in the various vastitudes of life. Just as life is not always cut and dried, applying the Bible to our lives can be more complicated than following the advice of the slogan, "Just Do It." I have personally seen people do great damage by recklessly applying the Bible in complicated situations. This is not to say the Bible should not be applied. It should! The more we read the Bible, the better prepared we will be to apply it.

• You will establish a discipline that will serve you well in every area of your life. Do I think you accepting my challenge to read the entire Bible during 2024 will be easy? Absolutely not! It will be a challenge, especially if you have never done it before. Will it be rewarding? Yes, it will. What will it take to fulfill this challenge? Your first thoughts may go to the time it will take, quickly followed by wondering how you can find that much time. But time will not be the biggest obstacle. Your biggest hinderance to fulfilling this challenge will be discipline. You must have the discipline to choose reading your Bible over a host of other ways you can spend your time. You will have to discipline yourself to make it the worthy priority that it deserves to be.

Here's the pressing question of the moment, will you accept the challenge to read the entire Bible during 2024? I sincerely hope you will because I want everyone to experience the blessings of reading the entire Bible each year. The place to start is by doing it one year, doing it in 2024. If you never do it again, I'm convinced that you will be glad you did it one time. I would love to know if this blog inspires anyone to accept the challenge. If you do accept the challenge, will you let me know by taking the time to comment on the blog. I ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE is all the comment that is needed but more comments are welcomed. Perhaps you have read the entire Bible in a calendar year. I would love for you to share with me about your experience.

I want to end this blog by sharing two verses of scripture that pinpoint the value of the Bible to our lives.