I just finished reading through the Bible, and on the first of January I plan to start again. Beauty and wisdom, peace and insight overflow its pages. Every minute I spend in the Scriptures yields dividends. Below are nine reasons I read every word of the Bible every year.

I gain an expansive view of God. Left to myself, I shrink God into my own image. I prefer a God who reminds me of me, who approves of my lifestyle and choices, and who hugs me despite my subtle disregard of his ways. No such God exists in the pages of Scripture, but how will I know if I don’t go take a look?

The discipline of daily reading develops my faith. Regular reading creates a habit and builds spiritual muscle. I did not choose to live the Christian life on a lark. As a serious and devoted follower of Jesus, I hope to continually grow deeper and broader in my faith. Bible reading forms the foundation of that growth.

I discover something I’ve never noticed on a daily basis. This may be my favorite part of reading the Bible. I discover faithful heroes and intriguing villains, fresh thoughts and challenging ideas every day.

God surprises me. Not always in a comfortable way.

God wrestles with me. Or better, I wrestle with the God of the Bible. The Lord uses the Scriptures to point out my pride or vanity or loose talk. I don’t like it. At times I despise it. But I appreciate the fact that words in the Bible roll me around in the dirt on occasion.

I wrestle with the Scripture’s approach the world. I don’t understand parts of the Bible. Why did the child born from David’s sin with Bathsheba have to die? Seems so unfair, but that’s what God wanted. I grapple with my understanding and beliefs about God. I believe questions fuel our faith, just as questions fueled the faith of many in the Bible.

The Holy Spirit blows fresh in my life. The Holy Spirit changes, comforts, challenges and builds us, particularly paired with the wisdom of the Bible. The combination of Holy Spirit and Holy Scripture transforms my heart. Nothing else works in such a supernatural way. I fight temptation, I gain compassion, and I get beyond myself when the Holy Spirit uses the words of God in my life.

I brag to my friends. Let’s face it—not many people read through the Bible. Let the practice slip at a dinner party and notice the reactions.

My soul swells. The psalmist tells us, Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1). I want such a life and it only comes by meditating on the scriptures daily. Comfort, hope and peace develop in such an environment.

I encourage you to join me and read the Bible cover to cover in 2024. You can do it! If you spend 30 minutes a day on social media, you can read the Bible through in a year.

Start the journey—your soul will thank you.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

These few days between the old year and the new are a good time to think back and look forward.

If we let them, certain Bible verses can frame our outlook for the coming year. One I especially I like is this encouragement from Paul to a group of Jesus followers in Greece:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

These are not just benevolent words, but a deep, powerful appeal from one believer for another.

Here at the turn of the year, as we leave behind the old and enter the new, let’s join with Paul and pray: Lord, encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and every good word as we step out to follow you in this next year of our lives.

Thessalonians 2 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Thomas Tucker

Noise and distraction—I actually like a good bit of both. But they keep me from connecting with the Lord. David wrote in one of his psalms:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

To praise the Lord from the depth of my soul takes time and quiet. Not noise or distractions, but rather a few minutes of still.

Our souls lie covered, like a walnut under a forest floor blanketed with leaves. Only by brushing back the detritus do we find what we’re hoping for.

Souls open in quiet places. The rush of the holidays doesn’t reveal quiet moments, but then again, neither does the rest of my life. I can stay busy and distracted all year long. In fact, I’m quite good at it.

But such a life does not allow for a flourishing soul. A little bit of still goes a long way in connecting my inmost being with its Creator.

Psalm 103 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Roman Datsiuk

In the coming year, an estimated 134 million babies will be born around the world. That’s a lot of diapers! Or you might say, a lot of people will create more people this next year.

Long ago, a psalmist wrote of coming days, in hopes that those to follow will embrace the faith: Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.

These words were penned about 3,000 years ago. People have praised the Lord ever since, generation after generation, spreading around the world in growing numbers.

The psalmist reminded us of a few reasons why faith in God is so valuable: But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations…The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and the kings of the earth will revere your glory…He will respond to the prayers of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

When we hold to these truths ourselves, and pass along all the teachings of Scripture to our children, we hands the joys of the Lord to the next generation. We do our part in a long, unbroken chain of faith.

May we persevere so that the next generation, and the ones to follow, enjoy the Lord and live to praise Him.

Psalm 102 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Kelly Sikkema