How many of us have treadmills sitting in our garages untouched after March? Walking into the New Year with resolutions, goals, and promises to ourselves feels difficult. We might have felt like we’ve failed so many years in a row, why bother?
Maybe this past year has been unusually difficult. Loss, grief, and pain have taken over your life, and the way seems very cloudy. What you were once certain of, you no longer feel peace about. How do you make goals when the path forward is filled with darkness?
Whether or not you feel like it, setting goals for your Bible reading can be vital to moving forward in the coming year. God’s Word is powerful and it is our lifeline when all other things have let go. Even if the way forward is cloudy or you just don’t have the motivation you used to, making goals centered around God’s Word might provide just enough life and clarity you need in this coming year.
Your Word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. Psalm 119:105
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the Word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s Word is flawless: he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30
For the Word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does. Psalm 33:4
For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
The benefit of God’s Word is clear, but what kinds of goals should we make concerning God’s Word? Of course, we know we need to read it. Maybe you already have a great Bible-reading habit. What’s next? Try taking one or all of these into the New Year and see how God will speak and move your heart to a deeper intimacy with Him!
1. Read More of the Bible
You could read more than just a few verses or a few chapters. Challenge yourself this year with a harder reading plan. There are plans that call readers to read the entire New Testament in three months. Or even a 90-day Read Through the Whole Bible plan. You can find a whole list of Bible reading plans here. No matter what plan you choose, make it a little harder than you did last year. Strive to read and consume more of God’s Word!
2. Memorize the Bible
Psalm 119:115 says, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Meditating and memorizing go hand-in-hand. Meditating is memorizing. The more you think about a passage the more apt you are to remember it and memorize it. As you strive to memorize verses this coming year, remember that it is mostly meditating. A great one is Memorizing Scripture by Glenn Marshall, but I challenge you to pick at least one verse a month and just start with that. Putting God’s Word in your heart will never be wasted. Once it is there, God can bring it to mind when you need it.
3. Read More Books about the Bible
Although reading your Bible should be the priority, maybe try reading some books that were written about the Bible. They don’t have to be scholarly books or books about theology. This book on how God’s goodness is still present when our stories shift follows the life of Moses. Maybe you can read through the story of Moses in this book and then read those books in the Bible that talk about Moses. Books written today are not to replace the Bible but to help us better understand and fall in love with the Bible. Pick up this book or another to read in the coming year.
4. Listen to the Bible
You might be looking at this list of goals and thinking, “How can I add one more thing to my busy life!?” This is your answer! Most Bible apps, specifically the YouVersion app, will have the Bible on audio. While you are getting ready in the morning or driving to and from work, put on the Bible. You can listen to someone else read through the Bible, and it actually engages a different part of your brain. This doesn’t have to replace your quiet time but enhances it. Listening to the Bible all the way through will open up verses you might not have noticed begore and cause you to discover things you missed by just reading through.
5. Start a Bible Study
Maybe God is calling you to step out in faith and start your own Bible study. If you want some help getting started, click here. But this is your encouragement to put aside your fear of rejection and seek out accountability consistently through a Bible study with your friends, church members, or even coworkers. God’s Word is enhanced when we study it together in a community. We are never meant to walk this life alone, so why study the Bible alone? Even if you seek out one person, it might help make Bible reading and Bible study come alive to you in ways you never imagined.
Whatever your goals are for the new year, I hope you add at least one of these to your list. No matter what season of life or situation you find yourself in - God’s Word has the answer to it. Spending time in God’s Word is never wasted:
So is my word that goes out of my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Jacob Bentzinger
Sarah E. Frazer is a writer, Bible study mentor, wife of Jason, and mother of five. With a background in missionary work, Sarah encourages the weary woman to find peace in Jesus. She is a regular contributor to the Proverbs 31 First 5 app writing team as well as a featured writer for Crosswalk.com. Her favorite place to hang out is Instagram at @sarah_e_frazer.