Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10), but I wonder how many of us could honestly say we are living an abundantly wonderful spiritual life? Would you say that your relationship with God is so close that your spiritual life could not get any richer, or perhaps would you say that your walk with Christ is minimal at best, and altogether lacking at worst?
If I told you that I know two ways that you can enrich your Christian life in the New Year, would you be interested? If so, then stay with me because you won’t believe how very simple it is to begin having a more fulfilling, more abundant, more wonderful spiritual life in the New Year.
First, by regularly attending a New Testament church where the Word is preached faithfully and consistently, you can begin having a healthier Christian life. When the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon, the priests and scribes thought it best that every man, woman and child would hear from the Book of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1-4). Why was it so important that all of them listened? I believe there are three reasons that believers should develop the regular practice of hearing the Word preached regularly.
To begin, God has chosen to give some believers the gifts of teaching and preaching that all believers can understand His Word. This means that hearing God’s Word regularly helps us understand what God is saying to us (Nehemiah 8:8; Ephesians 4:11-12). Also, hearing God's Word regularly is a form of worship (Nehemiah 8:5-6; Acts 2:42, 47). While one may not need to attend church to worship God, worshiping God cannot be done with the scriptural authority we have in the Bible – God’s Word to us. Last, hearing God's Word regularly gives us faith. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes through hearing, and in Romans 1:16 that God’s Word “is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.” It also gives us the faith we need to get by daily. J. G. Machen said, “The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.”
Another way to begin having a healthier Christian life is by reading God’s Word regularly. In Acts we read about the Bereans that received the message Paul was delivering with eagerness, but they also examined the scriptures for themselves to see if what was being said was true (Acts 17:11). Polls indicate that a majority of Christians do not read their Bibles daily, if any at all. The reason they give is for a lack of time; however, most Americans spend 20-30 hours per week watching television. The problem is not a lack of time but a lack of priority. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just as the health of our bodies is maintained by daily nourishment, so our spiritual life is maintained by spiritual food. Can you imagine what would become of us if we ate only once per week, month, or never at all? Likewise we are doing the same to our spiritual bodies by neglecting to take in God’s Word daily. I will give you four suggestions for success in daily Bible reading.
Make the time. Select a time each day you will read your Bible. I choose to do my reading in the morning, as one of the first things I do to start my day. The Bible tells that we should put on the full armor of God before going to battle, that we may be ready to face the enemy! (Ephesians 6:11, 13-14). It does not make any sense to put our armor on after the battle is over, no more than you would look at the road map to your destination only after arriving.
Make it a habit. A habit is an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically. Kind of like fixing my coffee in the morning – I can do it while sleeping (and my wife thinks I often do). What I am not in the habit of doing, laziness will overcome. By starting a habit of reading your Bible daily, you will begin to do it automatically, without having to take the time out of your busy day to sit down and enjoy some alone time with God.
Make a plan. I would never encourage a believer to read his Bible from the beginning to end (Genesis through Revelation) because the Bible was not written historically from start to finish. For this reason, it might be better to seek out a Bible study plan that takes you through the Bible at your own pace: one year, two years, etc. I find that reading two chapters in the Old Testament, two in the New Testament, and one in Psalms or Proverbs can just about get me through the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, and Psalms & Proverbs twice, all in a year’s time. And even if you don’t read it in a year or follow along in some specific order, remember that the bible says “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
Make a commitment. This is perhaps the most difficult and most important suggestion to follow. Without a commitment you will be unlikely to stay with your Bible reading plan. God instructed Joshua to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, day and night, so that he will prosper and find success (Joshua 1:8). If you want have a richer spiritual life and a closer walk with Christ, make a commitment to read your Bible daily. If you need, select an accountability partner that will help you stay on track, and perhaps you can be of some assistance to him as well.
If in the past you have not made it a habit of regularly attending church to hear the Word of God preached and reading your Bible, what stops you from doing so beginning today? By taking these two small steps of obedience I can assure you that in the coming year you will have a more fruitful, more spiritually fulfilling life than you expected. For the Bible says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
May you be blessed in 2012!
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