As we embark on a new year, many of us want to find a plan of Scripture reading that will work for us. Some may choose to read through the Bible using a one year plan, others may prefer to read through chronologically, and still others may choose to read a chapter a day or use a devotional. I prefer to read a book of the Bible at a time without a time frame in which to complete it. When I tried reading through the Bible in a year, my one-year plan became a two-year plan and I was always frustrated. Though many find this plan rewarding, for me the best way to read Scripture is one in which I am able to fully allow the Bible to read me. I know me. If it is like a homework assignment, I will want to make an “A”. I fall into performance mode racing through Scripture in order to complete my assignment. Therefore, for me, reading through a book at a time and having time to journal what I read, allows the Word to dig deep into my heart. Again, this is what works for me. You need to find what works for you. I also supplement my Bible reading with a devotional reading. If you would like to use the one that I wrote here is the link.
Psalm 110:11 says: I have hidden your word in my heart so that I will not sin against you. Tucked into this scripture is the word hidden. The point is to hide the word in our hearts so that we will live our lives in the light of the Word. The word sin in Greek is hamartia which means to miss the mark. So, let’s look at this another way.
I have hidden the word in my heart so that I will not miss the mark in my life—the target that you want to me to daily hit.
As we read through Scripture, hiding it in our heart, it guides us in the will of God daily for our lives. It is our plumb line and it is the measure of whether our lives will be successful and fruitful. As the Lord speaks to us in His Word and we apply it to our lives, we begin to live our lives centered on His purposes.
Now let’s get personal. Do you sense that you are on target with your life? Do you have a sense that you are missing the mark or that something is missing? I would suggest to you that if you are in the Word daily, perhaps it’s time to change up your Bible reading plan. Or if you are not daily in the Word, 2021 is a fresh start to engage in the Word. Make a plan, stick to the plan and ask a friend to hold you accountable to it. Perhaps you can find a few people with whom you can share once a week via phone, face to face, FaceTime—whatever works. The point is that we are strengthened when we have others on our spiritual growth journey.
When my granddaughter was around 10 years old, she asked me if she could sleep in the guest room. I have a room for grandkids but she said “Please just once”. What I didn’t realize at the time was her interest in being in the room with a tv. When I went into the room in the morning, she was asleep with the tv on. She lied to me about watching tv and that is when I realized it was time for her to hide The Word in her heart so that she could learn the importance of always telling the truth. It was the beginning of a deep search into the Word and transformation of her heart. Parents and grandparents, the best thing we can do for our kids is to help them learn how to hide the Word in their hearts.
2021 is upon us. We are called as Christians to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. I think we can all agree that we need some light and salt sprinkled in our world today. The light of God’s Word brightly hidden in our hearts is the way we will impact our culture. Our responses to people will shift with the well-worn path of God’s Word leading, and people will find themselves attracted to this light.
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