Reading the Bible

I haven’t been posting for a while... 

...mainly because I don’t feel as if I have anything worth saying. 

I’ve not been doing very well, mentally, physically or spiritually so I really didn’t think I’d be much of an encouragement to anyone. 

But it’s a new month and I’ve started a few new things so I thought I’d share it with you.

• Reading my Bible
• Praying
• Watching what I crave
• Listening to podcasts 

It sounds like a list that I should be doing anyway, but in truth these things have really been missing in my daily life recently. 

So the other day, I decided to start a reading plan where I will endeavour to read the Bible in a year. I know lots of people who have done this several times over, but although I’ve been a believer for a LONG time, it’s never something I thought to do. And you know my track record on finishing things - not good! But I started the other day and I was amazed at what I got out of day one! It was, as you can imagine, the start of Genesis, the start of Matthew and Psalm 1. But wow - God says a lot! 

Genesis 1 and 2:

It only dawned on me that this was ACTUALLY the first day. Not just the first day of creation or the first day of the week... it was the FIRST day ever. How exciting is that! Sometimes you can read things you have read thousands of times before and something new just hits you - that's how amazing and ALIVE the Bible is!

Matthew 1:

In Matthew as I was reading through the family tree of Jesus, I looked at the amazing women who are mentioned. And when you think about the fact that they were mentioned at all, it shows how amazing and worthy God thought they were. We have:

• Tamar - pretended to be a prostitute to sleep with her father-in-law in order to bear a child in Judah's line because Judah did wrong by her... an intriguing story of righting wrongs
• Rahab - a prostitute who assisted the Israelites to capture Jericho... a wonderful story of faith
• Ruth - a Moabite who travelled to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law after the death of her husband... an amazing story about loyalty and love
• Bathsheba - had an adulterous affair with King David, causing him to arrange the murder her husband... a beautiful story of redemption and transformation
• Mary - called 'blessed among women' and chosen to be the mother of Jesus... the greatest story of all

WOW! How amazing are they! Truly fascinating women who loved God and who God used to further His kingdom and His plan - resulting in the birth of Jesus. How exciting!

Psalm 1:

I love the Psalms - they are songs of worship, to be sung in times of joy, sadness, pain, fear... there is a psalm for every situation. The first psalm is a great place to start - reminding us of the blessings that come when we put God first and the dangers of not. It paints a beautiful picture of a tree planted beside a stream and reminds us that God wants us to be fruitful and that He watches over us. 

So those were my thoughts on my first day of 'Bible in a year'. I hope to share some more with you throughout this year, but I'd encourage you to take the plunge and join me. The Bible is truly alive and I really do believe that God has untold riches to share with us through its pages. 

Blessings xx