If I asked you, “What is the most important thing to me?” what would you say? Not, “who is the most important thing to me?” – that would be God, then my family (husband, kids, grandkids) – but what? What possession do I have, that if I could only own one thing, would be that thing?
If you know me well, did you answer, “the Bible?” Because that is what it is. I treasure it. I need it to light my path. To show me the way to go. To remind me of who God is, what He has done, the promises He has kept, the promises He will keep, the way to live for my good! To remind me of the light when the world seems so dark.
Every year I read the Bible from cover to cover (by reading it daily) and for the last few years as the new year is beginning I have encouraged others to read it daily as well. Because honestly, it’s the best, most beneficial habit I have.
I use a reading plan (of which there are many) that has me reading from a few different parts of the Bible every day, so that at the end of the year I have read the whole Bible. It’s so good! And I don’t know any other way to “renew my mind,” which then affects my life.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable, and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
In Deuteronomy (Devarim) 17:18 – 20 God is talking about when His people get a king. Just after the part where God says that the king shouldn’t acquire for himself excessive silver and gold(!) He says,
“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel”
This is so practical – if the king wasn’t above God’s law, how much less our politicians and leaders aren’t above God’s law! And the king was to write a copy of it and read it every day! “All the days of his life.” So that he would live the way he, and we all, were made to live. God’s ways are “for our good” (Deuteronomy//Devarim 10:13).
Back in those days, people weren’t bombarded the way we are by social media and yet the king was told to read God’s word daily. How much more should we be doing so, as all kinds of competing ideas bombard us daily? How much more do we need to “renew our minds” which will help us to walk in the light?
So what if on January 1st, you start in Genesis (Beresheet) 1 – look up a Bible reading plan, and get into the life-giving habit of reading the Bible daily? The whole Bible! It is truly a treasure and daily reading of it is the best habit I can recommend.
