We've reached that time of the year when people make New Year's Resolutions - many of which, statistically speaking, will have totally unravelled by the middle of January.
I expect for many Christians, the opportunity to pause and reflect generates a potentially guilt-ridden experience. We think about what we've done over the past year, we think about what we've not done over the past year and we know that we could have done so much better. We could have read the Bible more. We could have prayed more. We could have memorised more verses. We could have witnessed more. We could have given more.
One of the problems with this kind of reflection is that it focuses on us and what we've done - rather than on God: who he is and what he has done. Therefore it can very easily generate a spiral of failure and guilt and disappointment. I failed last year, so to make up for that, I'll set even more ambitious goals this year. The trouble is that often, come the second week in January ...
Another problem with this kind of approach is that it focuses on the things that we do rather than the people that we are. It sees Spiritual Disciplines as an end in themselves rather than the means to a totally different end. The measure of a 'good' Christian is someone who reads their Bible and prays for x minutes every day or gives y percent of their income to the church...
Part of our Vision here at CBC is that we are seeking to become more like Jesus - therefore in terms of our 'doing' - we do those things that will help us towards this goal and we don't do those things that will pull us away from this goal. And when it comes to looking back and reflecting, the guide by which we measure our progress is not the amount of stuff that we have done, but whether or not we are a bit more like Jesus than we were before. And whilst we know that Bible reading and prayer (for example) are disciplines that will help us on this journey, we also know, from experience, that the struggles and hardships that we've been through in the past twelve months may have also shaped us on this journey too.
Those of you who know me will know that I'm the kind of person who likes tick boxes and spreadsheets. I also like routine. And therefore there is always the danger that any Bible reading programme (for example) becomes a habit that is done in order to tick off today's box, rather than being something that I do in order to spend time with God, which in turn will help me be a little bit more like Jesus. The danger is that as long as the box is ticked the job is done. A 'successful' year is one in which all 1189 boxes on the Bible reading plan are ticked by 31 December regardless of the impact that any of those chapters made in shaping me to be a little bit more like Jesus.
I do believe that it is good to stop and pause and reflect - to spend time thinking about what God has done in me and through me - we just need to be careful what we're looking for and how we measure 'success'. We also should be thinking and praying about what God wants to do now - in me and through me. It is also good to be thinking about the big objectives (e.g. to be more like Jesus) and to reflect on how God might want that to happen in the next 3, 6, 9 or 12 months: to invite the Holy Spirit to challenge us on how our practice of the Spiritual Disciplines is helping or hindering that big objective. We also need to remember that it is not primarily about what we do - it is God who works in us - and therefore we should not underestimate or overlook the way that God is moulding us through the circumstances that he has allowed us to go through.
For the last few years, I have followed a Bible in a Year reading programme. These have been great. They provide a good overview of the whole Bible story, but they also help to show how the whole thing fits together. Most BiaY programmes typically have you read a couple of Old Testament chapters, a Psalm and a passage from the New Testament each day and so you are able to start making these links. But it is a lot of reading each day and once you get a day or two behind it can be hard to catch up, and as I said earlier, for someone like me, there is the danger that it just becomes an exercise in box ticking. There are similar programmes that cover just the New Testament; or the whole Bible, but in two or three years rather than just one. But - even a Bible in a Year programme will only require about 20-25 minutes reading a day, which might seem a lot when compared to how much we're reading now, but not so much when we consider the other things that we spend far more than 20-25 minutes doing each day.
Spiritual Disciplines, such as Bible reading and prayer, are a key part in our journey of faith. But it is possible that the doing of these disciplines has no more benefit than the not doing. So as we look back over the past year it is important not to miss the hidden things that God has been doing in us to make us more like Jesus - but it is also important not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the things that we have done and ticked off, but which have had no real impact on us. Things that have just become a habit.
If you have been thinking about how you want to read the Bible in 2018 you haven't got long left to make up your mind. Whatever approach you go for remember that it's not about the reading for reading's sake - it's about spending time with God, meeting him in the pages and hearing his voice.
And if you're wanting to read the Bible through in a year - go for it.
You'll find lots of Bible Apps that will help you in your journey.
This video is from a great resource that I used a couple of years ago put together by the guys over at Join the Bible Project. Once you sign up they'll email you encouragement on a regular basis as well as having some really helpful short videos that will make reading Leviticus a whole lot more rewarding. There are videos for every book of the Bible as well as videos on key themes that you'll come across. Click this link to take a look at their website - scroll down towards the bottom of the page to sign up for the Read the Bible in One Year.
Other places you might look for useful resources are the Bible Society, Scripture Union's WordLive or Bible Gateway's different reading plans.
Another thing I have found is that this sort of adventure is a lot easier when you're doing it with someone. Not that you necessarily read together, but you chat about what you've read, what's been encouraging, what's been difficult to understand, what's challenged you. Also you keep each other on track and accountable. This may be someone that you physically meet with or it may be by email or on social media.
