I ditched the one I started and briefly considered starting another one before the Holy Spirit lead me to turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a book of the Bible I helped teach during a morning men’s ministry outreach almost four years ago.
[Have I mentioned that we try and keep it real here on The Devotional Guy™ blog?]
I am a Christian—good, bad, ugly, and otherwise. I am far from perfect. Yet, I do my best to teach what the Lord and life have taught me. Undoubtedly, there will be times when that might make you uneasy—even queasy—as we unpack our walk with Jesus.
I spend my days working on the frontlines of faith—where people and Jesus meet—as our team fights with the devil to win souls for Christ.
Yes, barely one week into the new year, I’ve already tossed aside the reading plan I had chosen to guide me through God’s Word in 2024.
Why would someone do something like that?
First of all, many Bible reading plans attempt to cram too much into one day.
Secondly, I want to feed on the Word not simply stuff my face and gorge myself with spiritual food in hopes of maybe gleaning a little nourishment.
I need a healthy diet of Scripture that calls on me to dig deeper. I’m not looking for spiritual milk. I am looking for spiritual meat.
Thirdly, Ephesians is a rich theological book that is helpful to both new and seasoned believers. It’s a good place to start if you don’t know anything about Jesus or if you think you’ve got a good handle on God and His Word.
Reading our Bibles is a necessity if we want to grow in our understanding of how what we believe impacts how we behave.
Peace, love, and joy—and happy Bible reading!
Rainer Bantau
The Devotional Guy™
The Devotional Guy™ 
I will be joining you to Ephesians!
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Yes, it definitely takes a while. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
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That sounds like a fruitful way to get into God’s word. Thanks for reading and sharing!
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I think it took me 3 years to read the entire Bible.
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Right now, I am reading “Life Lessons of 1st and 2nd Peter” by Max Lucado. I have a few Christian based workbooks I need to get back to, so, I am trying to focus on them during my study time.
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One of my favorite parts about following your rich blog is your keeping it real, brother!
I’d love to say I’ve read the whole Bible through , but I have not. Furthermore, I often struggle to do what it says. Yet, this doesn’t make me any less of a follower of Christ—who calls us to himself.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. “
Walk on, my brother! And enough your time In Ephesians.
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I agree. Thank you, Linda.
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Sometimes ditching is necessary.
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I would much rather study to deeply understand what I am reading than to simply read as much as possible. Reading the whole bible in two years is a more reasonable goal for me! Thanks for sharing!
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Savoring God’s Word is good. I like that, Bridget. Terri feels the same about reading Scripture. I’m glad this post is helpful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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I understand. Plans like reading the Bible in one year never work for me because it’s too much and I don’t absorb what I read. I’d rather savor and be able to hear what the Lord wants to speak to me. Thank you for sharing this, Rainer.
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Thank you, Alan!
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Here is a link to Matthew Everhard’s reading plan: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B__wL9T6X1mXM1FtWERBYnBSOWtKei03bDRNbXlIYTZYMmpJ/view?resourcekey=0-vtYIb_f_oq3a-YKYdwkMdw
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That sounds like an interesting and viable reading plan, Alan. One that allows you time to chew on what you’ve read versus water boarding you with an overload of information. I think we need to do more than just consume the Word—we need to meditate on it and commit it to our hearts and minds.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts and experience. Blessings 🙏
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I too have ditched standard Bible reading plans this year, I chose an undated plan where I just highlight the chapters I do read which was created by someone else. I love it, I am getting so much from reading one chapter which is much better than skimming several chapters. My reading plan may take me about five years but I am not concerned by that. Thank you for sharing your encouraging thoughts on this subject Rainer. May our Father God guide and bless you in your study of His Word in 2024 brother 🙏
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I agree. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for reading my post.
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You will get much more out of a plan that God choses for you than force feeding yourself big chunks of scripture on a daily basis!!
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