Several years ago, I dreamt I’d been given 4 hours to live.
I felt healthy in my dream. Nevertheless, the doctors doomed me to only four more hours of life.
I agonized over how to spend those last hours.
I wanted to enjoy my husband and our three young children, and all my family and friends. But there were things I needed my children to know before I died. Things that would impact them for the rest of their lives. For eternity.
If I just told my kids what they needed to remember forever, they’d forget. They were too young to even understand. I had to write it all down.
The clock ticked away my precious moments as I desperately scribbled into a notebook.
There’s too much! I don’t have enough time!
And then I woke up.
Whew!
After I woke from that nightmare, the question continued to nag me. What would I do if I only had four hours left to live?
And then a new question boggled my mind:
What if I could only share ONE message? What would it be?
One Message
After more than a half-century of living, I now know what my one message is—and will always be:
Know the Word
…
Know the Word of God because you’ll never truly know the God of the Word apart from the Word of God.
The Knowledge of God
The late pastor and theologian AW Tozer wisely said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
Where we get the information that forms our thoughts about God makes all the difference.
Most professing Christians read a verse or a chapter from the Bible here and there, now and then. Best source. Weak commitment.
They depend on getting the majority of their knowledge of God by attending church each week. Unfortunately, too often pastors do little more than give a motivational message with a verse or two scattered throughout.
Even the best pastor pales in comparison to the full Word of God.
A shallow knowledge of God may hold us if we lose a good parking spot, but it will likely fail us if we lose our health. Or a loved one. And when we stand before God on Judgement Day.
We need to learn everything we can about God from God. And He has spoken to us through His Word.
Are we listening?
Join the Whole Bible Reading Challenge
The Bible is the final word we need for everything.
Whether you read it in one year or two. Or even three. Just read it, and read it all.
Reading the whole Bible is the best New Year’s Resolution anyone can make.
Plenty of reading plans abound to help. Choose one from the many listed below:
- Revive Our Hearts Ministry Bible Reading Plans (Multiple plans to choose from)
- Ligonier Ministry Bible Reading Plans (Multiple plans to choose from)
- The Five Day Bible Reading Plan (Free downloadable reading schedule)
Perhaps you’d like to start with a free 30-Day Reading Challenge. Revive Our Hearts is working through the Book of Acts together for the month of January. Sign up here.
But don’t stop at just reading Acts. Keep reading. You only have 65 more books of the Bible to go. (Don’t panic. A couple are only one chapter long.)
No matter how you get from Genesis to Revelation, remember this:
The goal isn’t for us to conquer the Bible. It’s to let the Bible conquer us.
But What If You’re Not a Christian?
Maybe you’re not a Christian. Read the Bible anyway.
It’s the best-selling book in history. That alone makes it worth reading.
But more importantly, one day you’re going to stand before God and face judgment for your conviction that Christianity isn’t true and that Jesus isn’t the only way to heaven.
You owe it to yourself to read the whole Bible and consider whether your conviction is actually worth holding.
With your eternity on the line, surely you want to make an informed decision. You can make a gut reaction without reading the whole Bible, but not a properly informed decision.
Choices. Choices.
We make a lot of choices over the course of our lives. The most dangerous one we can make isn’t to swim with alligators or venture down hard wooden stairs in slick slippers. It’s to ignore the Bible.
Don’t ignore the Bible. Join me in the Whole Bible Reading Challenge!
Who’s in?
“Know the Word.” What a powerful maxim for life Ms. Jean. It’s funny, but just before you wrote about non-Christians reading the Bible, I thought about how mama would quote scripture of offer lessons based on the Bible; and even though I was not yet a Christian, God’s word influenced by life as they formed the basis for my values and standard of morality. Great post ma’am! Thank you…
I’m in! Reading the entire Bible every year for decades has been the single most powerful habit I’ve Ever developed. God has used this discipline to open doors of opportunity I never imagined, given me wisdom and strength and comfort, and empowered me to do the impossible. Can’t wait to see what God does through my Bible reading this year.
Thanks, JD! What a wonderful testimony to the power of God’s Word in the life of someone who isn’t even seeking God. His living Word gets in us and does the work God sent it out to do. Every time. And in you, He used it to form your values and to draw you to Himself and then shape you into a man who exudes a Christlike love for others and deep devotion to God and His Word. Bless you!
Amen and amen!! Reading the entire Bible has changed my life in a way that nothing else has or can. And I can’t wait to see what God does through your Bible reading this year, too. I know you’ll be sharing about it. Yay! 🙂
What a phenomenal list of choices! Thank you, Jean, for sharing your passion for reading the Bible as well as these resources.
My pleasure, Jeannie! I’m always happy to share my passion for the Bible. A passion I know you share. 🙂
Hey, Jean. I loved reading your blog, as always. I’ll be joining you in the Bible reading challenge using the chronological plan (which I’ve done years ago – and loved!) I know it will again make a big difference in my life. I’m just praying to stay the course… Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I’m thrilled that you’re joining the challenge. I’m excited to walk with you through God’s Word. I’m also reading through the Bible chronologically this year. I’ll be praying for you to stay the course—and all of us who’ve accepted the challenge. As you already know, it’s the most worthwhile way for us to spend our day. I heard a pastor say today that if we must choose between eating breakfast or reading God’s Word, we should always choose reading God’s Word. Wise words. 🙂 I’ve found when I pray and ask God to wake me early and THEN obey Him to get up no matter how I feel, He’s always been faithful. I set my alarm and trust Him to give me the strength to get up, but He’s almost always required me to do the work of getting out of bed despite fatigue. The energy follows soon as His Word seeps into my soul and invigorates me. I love it so much, but the discipline to read it comes first—which, again, you already know. 🙂