This morning I had breakfast with a NEHBC man who only decided to accept the read through the bible challenge on May 10, yet completed the bible on July 22. He is in his mid 30s, has multiple preschoolers, has a full time job, and has a commission based income. It's the first time he has ever read the bible from start to finish and the first time he has ever read most of the books of the bible at all.
Last night I spoke with a man who accepted the read through the bible challenge back in January and finished the bible in June. He is in his mid 40s and has a high schooler and a middle schooler.
I spent last week in Sturgis with a man who faithfully reads the daily assignment each day and is on pace to finish the bible in December.
Last week a lady emailed me to say she started in January, quit in April, restarted in June, and has caught up.
As of last month, I still knew of a married couple who had done the daily reading assignment, out loud, together, every day this year. I don't doubt they are still going strong. They told me the impact it has had on their marriage cannot be explained with words, from their communication to their sex life to their family relationships to their work ethic.
I know of several stories of people quitting.
The challenge for our church family to read through the bible together has been quite a journey. Some have learned they are in need of more self disicpline than they thought. Some have learned they aren't as hungry for the Word of God as they thought. Some have personally learned of a dynamic called spiritual warfare in which Satan is working to get us to quit. Some have learned they aren't yet ready to lead others in the church since they themselves still can't consistently read the Word of God. Some have been surprised at the sustaining nature of God's grace that is given to us when we pray for it regularly--you never thought you'd still be going strong in August! Some have found depth and substance in their relationship with the Lord that they've never had before. Some are discovering sides of God they never knew existed.
My bet is that those who are still in a rhythm at this point are likely going to finish. You stuck with the daily readings until it became a lifestyle just like someone who sticks with getting in physical shape until it becomes a lifestyle.
I want to encourage others of you who have quit to give it another go. Pick back up, determine a reading course, and choose to stick with it as an offering to the Lord. Don't beat yourself up. Disciplining oneself is two steps forward and one step back and sometimes it can feel like one step forward and two steps back. It is failing and getting back up and doing it again. Give it all you've got, pray for the power of God to get you through it, and depend on that power and not yourself. You can do this.
The journey continues . . .
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