The Bible is a book like no other.
While we can learn so much through seminaries and scholarly commentaries, God wants to reveal himself to us through Scripture as we read right in our own homes. Through the Holy Spirit, The Bible contains the power to transform you from the inside out as you read, study, and obey.
Think about this for a minute:
Scripture contains God’s breath
on
in
& through.
You see, it’s easy to talk about Jesus. It’s easy to have Sunday school answers. It’s easy to read books about faith.
But if we really want to know God and recognize his voice and presence in our lives, the Bible is the foundation and the filter for this journey.
When we do something as simple as open up a book—THE book—our lives are markedly changed.
The last 40 days, over 50,000 friends made a fast and furious journey through the New Testament during the #LentChallenge.
Here are just a handful of ways reading your Bible will impact your life:
1. God is waiting to reveal himself to you in his Word.
“I’m seeing things in the Bible I have not noticed before.” –Linda
“Every morning, God is showing me more and more of Himself. Doing this in community is even more powerful.” –Janis
“This changed the way I read the Bible. I see such value in reading large chunks at a time—it paints a clearer picture for me and brings me to deeper truths.” –Tom
2. The Bible reorients your day.
“In a world of inconsistencies, it is so comforting to be bathed in truth over and over.” –Ann
“There were times during Lent I was pretty fearful, but I just read Scripture and let the Word renew me.” –Annie
“The #LentChallenge sparked much conversation between my husband and I, drew us closer to our Savior, and closer each other.” –Victoria
3. Warning: You May Get Hooked.
“I may well be addicted to Scripture and cannot imagine a better thing to be addicted to!” –Jeannie
“This is also my first time reading the New Testament all the way through. I can’t believe I have never done this before!” –Sam
“I love this pace. It’s broad enough to catch connections and see grand trends, yet leisurely enough to sustain comfortably.” –Charlie
The Bible will continue to renew you, transform you, fill you, challenge you. It’s never too late to crack it open and experience the wonder of God’s Word.
The Lent challenge was awesome. Thank you for challenging me. I pray this has developed an addiction. I love the massive read. I am able to see a bigger, broader picture. I can see how it all fits together. It is great to study by breaking apart small passages in context, but you have to get a comcept of the whole text. Just a beaitiful Lent. Thank you.
As i read thru the new testament i kept noticing an
Echo theme of Love. God loves us, Jesus loves us. we are to love God. We are to love people.
I accepted your challenge last year because I had never read the Bible straight through and it had always been a goal of mine. I didn’t get it done in 40 days, it took me about 65 days but I did it!
What it did for me more than anything is
made me start reading first thing in the morning and I have truly developed that into my routine. I do it just about every morning.
I have just started what I’m calling my Leisurely Stroll thru the bible taking the time to stop and research the issues, people and places I felt that I didn’t have time to do last year.
I love noticing the small things and phrases and meditating on them. Thanks for the challenge last year…it really stretched me and helped me.
We have just gone through a church merge which has been challenge to say the least. Themes of unity and love came through in every book, and although I don’t have answers, I do hear God’s instructions on how to proceed.
I was a little bit sad when I finished Revelation because that meant the New Testament was over. What will I read next?
Thank you so much for heading up the New Testament read. Such a beautiful story. Such a beautiful savior.
Margaret, thank you for your leadership! The LentChallenge was awesome! MANY in my church took the challenge. It was awesome as we met to pray every Wed and talking about what we read and got from it.
But the real highlight for me was doing this with my wife and 10 year old son. We had lots to talk about! And now my son and I will go back through the NT together but at a slower pace.
Thank you for all you’re doing for the Kingdom!
Thank you for joining us, Ed. Loved reading your insights throughout!
So thrilled the Lent Challenge was a blessing to you, Erin!
Amazing!
AMEN!
This challenge sounds amazing! I have got to mark my calendar and do it next year!
On Good Friday, I started my own challenge… reading the Bible in 90 days. I’m excited for the revelations that I’m sure I’ll encounter.
Wishing you many blessings.
xoxo
Loved the 40 day Challenge! In reading the Gospels, I was touched by the number of times Jesus was moved with compassion. His genuine love and compassion for people was overwhelming. In the rest of the New Testament, I noticed community over and over again. Seeing to the needs of others, loving and caring for others, especially in the Body of Christ.
The Word was and is alive. Thank you for the challenge.
Hey Jennifer! We just posted new PDFs that can be used throughout the year. Check it out: http://margaretfeinberg.com/free-new-testament-reading-guide/