Saturday, December 29, 2018

Welcoming 2019 // Part 2: On Bible Reading

The new year is fast approaching! With all its unknowns: joys yet to share, tears yet to cry, challenges yet to be faced – and what a comfort that every day is known by God, and in his hands, and that he is faithful in it all.

I love the God-given rhythm of new years... Giving thanks for what has been, and looking forward to what might lie ahead. And I love resolutions, and thinking about how we might best steward the time and other gifts God has given. Yesterday I wrote a bit about resolutions, and in particular, considering our use of technology for the new year. Today, the one other area (amongst so many others!) I'm keen to write about is how we might read and soak in God’s Word in 2019.



Why Have a Daily Practice of Devotionally Reading the Bible?
Why read the Bible? Why have a daily habit of sitting with and meditating upon the Word of God?

I don’t know about you, but I remind myself of Israel: I forget so quickly. (Eg, 1 Sam. 12:8-9; Jer. 2:32; Ps. 106:12-22). Unless I’m regularly feeding upon God’s Word, I'm prone to forget his promises, to forget who I am in Christ, and to forget how the gospel gives me real power for the present, and hope for the future. I start to believe the whispers of the world, the devil, and my own fickle flesh. Having God’s Word, and having his ear in prayer, are a daily lifeline. (Caveat: my actual, real lifeline is the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially in his death and resurrection... his saving grace, drenching and overwhelming like a summer storm.) Reading the Bible and praying is not what saves me and gives me life… but it is a precious gift from God in my humanness to help me remember the One who has saved me – his completed work and his promises. As I hear God’s voice in his Word and speak to him in prayer, I daily walk with and remain connected to the one who is my lifeline. The one who has promised that if we abide in him, and he in us, and his Word in us, we will have life and bear much fruit. (John 15:4-7)

We read the Bible because Jesus himself quoted the Scripture in saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4; quoting Deut. 8:3). We read the Bible because it discerns our hearts, and lays us bare to ourselves, as well as before God (Heb. 4:12; Rom. 7:7-13), because it is the inspired Word of God which was given for our teaching, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and because, as Jesus modelled in the desert in Matthew 4, it is our defence and weapon against the accusations and lies of Satan (Eph. 6:13-17). We read the Bible because, as God's Word dwells richly within us, it transforms and renews our character so that we increasingly reflect our Lord Jesus - for the glory of God and our joy.

My Bible Reading in 2018
I’ve written before about how a new year always brings the joy of praying and considering how I might read God’s Word throughout the next year. Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about reading the whole Bible in a year, including my reflections in doing it, and why I love and recommend it. As of last year, I’ve flexibly* decided to read the whole Bible through every second year – I think it’s a rhythm that, Lord willing, seems helpful for me, and aids growth in both intimacy and familiarity (thanks to Tim Challies for those wonderful terms!) with God’s Word.

*“Flexibly” because a Bible reading plan is (once again) a wonderful servant, yet a terrible master, so I want to stay flexible, and open to the Spirit’s leading in terms of what I need to love and delight in Jesus, and be ready to ditch any plan that’s no longer serving that goal.

Using Challies’ language, 2018 was a year of “intimacy” in Bible reading for me. I read slowly, and small chunks. The year didn’t really turn out as I planned, but in it, God gave much grace, as he always does.

I wanted to spend 2018 really getting to know a few books of the Bible. For them to linger in my mind and heart, and to master me and form me in the image of my Lord Jesus. In this vein, I ended up reading 1 Peter for almost the whole first half of the year. It wasn’t all I read; I certainly did other bits of Bible reading during that time (as well as using Tim Keller's excellent devotional, The Way of Wisdom), but in terms of my daily Bible time, it was mostly just those five chapters! (With a 1 Peter commentary alongside in the later of those months.)

I didn’t originally intend to spend that long in that one, short book, but it taught me two valuable lessons: First, that God’s Word became increasingly precious, and increasingly part of me as I committed it to memory, and became profoundly familiar with this book and the work of his Spirit in my heart. It was so worth it, and I would do it again. Yet, secondly, I think my long-fought tendency toward perfectionism was getting the better of me towards the end – I didn’t feel I really knew 1 Peter as well as I should or wanted to, after almost half the year, to warrant moving onto another book. Which kept me from moving on, beyond what was helpful, I think. When I realised that, I entrusted my imperfect efforts to God in all his faithfulness, and moved on to the next thing. Lesson learned. (You might have a similar bent, or you might have different struggles; it helps to learn these lessons, and to know yourself in conversation with God’s Word and Spirit!)

I spent the rest of the year similarly studying and sitting with a few other books: Ecclesiastes (one of my favourites), Hebrews, and 2 Peter – and spent December in an Advent devotional on a Bible app. I found that this kind of slow and close-up reading was incredibly precious. Sometimes I started to see new and deeper truths and links within Scripture. Often, my heart started to see and believe and feel in a new way as I just kept on sitting with the same passages.

But at other times, I felt far less certain that what I was doing was helpful. Sometimes I looked at the same precious passage, and yet couldn't come up with any insights or applications that felt new or profound. Sometimes I felt dry.

I think a lot of that is pretty normal. We don’t read the Bible to gain profound insights every time we open it, or to feel a certain way every time, or to find life-changing, concrete applications every time – even though these are good things, and to be received with joy. We read the Bible because in it, God speaks to us, and we sit at his feet, in his presence, and receive from him: grace upon grace in Christ. Bible reading often reminds me of my humanity. I have days of enthusiasm and joy, and days of weariness and weakness. Days of clarity, and days of foggy barrenness. But the perpetual lesson is God’s faithfulness, not mine. It’s his Word, after all. Christ has promised to be with us until the end of the age, and he is. That’s why we pursue him and hide his Word in our hearts, by the power of his Spirit.

I offer these brief personal reflections on my year, in case they are of any help or encouragement to anyone:
  • Spending time in a book of the Bible for an extended time really is worthwhile. I recommend it, and am glad I slowed down this year. I'm enjoying this rhythm.
  • I think, in general, it’s a good habit to read the Bible before reading what others have said about it (eg in sermons, blog posts, commentaries, books). I did this, and recommend it as a habit - but on balance, I wish I’d spent a little more time listening to or reading what others had written about these parts of the Bible.
  • Memorisation of (and subsequent meditation upon) Scripture is inestimably valuable. Having God’s Word hidden in your heart is worth every minute and every ounce of discipline you pour into it.
  • I’m itching to read the whole Bible again. I’m missing the bits I haven’t read in a while.
  • I wish, during my Bible-in-a-year reading in 2017, that I was more deliberate and thought-through about jotting down the many questions that arose as I read through the text. I did this a bit, but not nearly consistently enough, and not all in the one place. (Rookie error.) I’d love to have taken some of those questions and used them to potentially shape my Bible reading in a slower, in-between year like 2018, as I explore some of the questions, topics, and musings I’m not able to pour time into when I’m reading bigger chunks. I’m going to be more deliberate about that this year, and see if it bears fruit.

The Plan for 2019
I'll be back to reading the Bible in a year! I’m thinking of either this “Straight Through the Bible” plan, or this “Historical” plan – I’ll decide in the next day or two. If you’re keen to join me on reading the whole Bible in 2019, you can find a helpful selection of different plans here.

A couple of random tools and thoughts:
  • I’m hoping to “read ahead” a bit, to give me a couple of days a week to sit with smaller passages that allow me to sit with God and what he’s teaching me through the life experiences he gives me. (Alternatively, you could do a “5-day plan” that’s designed to give you Bible readings for 5 of the 7 days, with 2 days per week to read other things, or to catch up. There just wasn’t a 5-day plan I found that suited me this year!)
  • I’m going to use my audio Bible – either alongside my visual reading, or at other times, for example, in the car. (I use an app on my phone – there’s a few options out there).
  • I’m going to keep on using my Bible pencil highlighters, and my journal for notes, reflections, and learnings.
Whilst this post has focused entirely on a Bible reading habit, I feel compelled to mention one more thing (albeit, given far less space than it deserves):

Prayer. In a similar way to other books on prayer (such as Paul E. Miller’s excellent book, A Praying Life), Tim Keller’s Prayer deeply inspired and challenged me this year in thinking through my habits and experiences of prayer. (Highly recommended.) He challenges the tendency, perhaps especially of many of us Reformed-evangelical-types, to spend most of one’s devotional time reading the Bible, with prayer at the end, and far less time spent in it. I’m often guilty of this. With God’s help, I hope to spend relatively more time in meditation and prayer, relative to Bible reading, and flowing from the Scriptures that I do read. This shift in the balance will likely mean doing only some of my Bible reading in the morning; and rather, being intentional about finding other pockets and rhythms of sitting with God’s Word during the day – and praying. This both breaks down the rather modern idea of a single “Quiet Time” as the only deliberate daily time we spend with God, rather spreading our communion with him more perceptibly throughout the day, and allows plenty of time in that precious, quiet morning time with Jesus (which I know I need before I start the day), to listen to him, be still before him, and to pray to him.

Do you have a Bible reading plan for 2019? I'd love to hear what you hope to do.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Welcoming 2019 // Part 1: On Resolutions and Technology

Christmas for another year is now past, even as carols sung, family members hugged, and food eaten (and, even now, still to be eaten – thanks, Mum, for leftovers!) still linger sweetly in the memory. During this precious week every year in which the remaining minutes seem to slow down, and linger just a little longer, my mind starts to turn to the dawning new year. A new year – always full of hope, especially when buoyed by the fulfilled promises of Advent: a Saviour who has come to us – truly God with us – to save us, who is coming back again, and who gives us grace and strength to live for him in our pilgrim present.


I love the “resolutions” bit of new years. I’m not against resolutions, but perhaps think more in terms of reflections and goals and habits… with a generous dose of “Lord willing.” (James 4:14-15).

Famous for his resolutions was Jonathan Edwards. When he was still a young man of nineteen, from 1722-1723, he wrote out 70 resolutions for himself, as a means of growing in faith, love for Christ and others, and making the best use of the days God had given him. I think his resolutions can strike the post-modern mind as rather intense, and to the 21st-century Christian even as legalistic. But I love reading his resolutions, and thinking about them for my life. You can read them here; or Desiring God have put together a helpful version which organises his resolutions by category.

There are three things about them, and Edwards’ heart revealed in them, that I find particularly compelling:
  1. His habit of self-examination. Nobody could accuse Jonathan Edwards of an unexamined life. He made habits of examining every part of his life (and not only his actions, but also his mind and heart and emotions), and prayerfully considering whether it fit with that of a disciple of Christ. He understood that all of him was redeemed by and belonged to Christ, and he took the time to examine his life in light of this reality.
  2. His sheer earnestness. He desired Christ above all, and wanted to desire Christ above all, and so he directed all his energies in the pursuit of Jesus as his greatest treasure, for himself and others. I think there’s much virtue in this; it is undoubtedly the right response to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
  3. The glory of God as his primary motivator. He certainly has high aspirations for each pocket of his life (and I suspect one would need to be in regular examination of one’s own motives, and remembering the purpose and basis of one’s efforts to keep this in a healthy and Christ-honouring place) – yet these high aspirations are born of the stunning realisation that all of his life was lived for God’s glory (not his own), and is empowered by God himself.
Something else I love is that we’ve been left not only with Edwards’ resolutions, but also his diary – where he honestly records the ups and downs of his life and emotions. He reports himself as being “exceedingly dull” on various days, and other honest reflections on his heart and actions. His resolutions were aspirational, but that didn’t detract from their value. The young Edwards grew up into a faithful minister, mentor, husband, and man of God, and I don’t doubt for a second that these resolutions, flowing from a faithful heart which was enraptured by Christ, helped form the man that be became, in God’s hands.

Edwards is just one person – and no person is perfect. But his resolutions have again been thought-provoking for me as I ponder the quick-approaching new year.

I want the glory of God, who has shown me such mercy in Jesus, to be my primary motivator. To cooperate with the Spirit in forming my character and heart more and more in the image of Christ, and for regular self-examination to help me in confessing my sin before God and receiving from his hand more of his grace and more of himself.

I also want his earnestness. Read: earnestness; not perfectionism that leads to the guilt with which New Year’s Resolutions are so commonly associated. When we follow a Saviour who died to take our sin and shame, and offer us a status of “no condemnation,” there is no room for guilt – only grace. This earnestness flows from wonder and joy at what has been done for us, and a shameless desire for more of that joy for ourselves: found in Jesus, who invites us to come and be his disciples, and to pursue him above all else. Not from a desire to please God, impress others, or prove ourselves. In Christ, our status is already secure. And so, we can cling onto him with an earnestness that only leads to repentance and faith when we sin (knowing we remain children of God), and in acknowledging our weakness and limitations when we fail, but knowing that when we are weak, Christ’s power is made perfect in us. This is our great hope as we face a new year.

Also, I think this earnestness wouldn’t and shouldn’t, in a 21st-century world, look like doing more and more. I think pursuing Christ earnestly must look like learning to rest well, to submit gladly to his will for our lives, to learn from him who is gentle and meek in heart. It’s an earnestness that shows Christ as all-precious, and a heart that reflects that as it rests in him.

Jesus, Technology, and a New Year
This leads me to talk about one particular area that I suspect most of us would do well to consider and pray about as we start 2019: technology. My “resolutions” usually flow from an examination of the various key parts of my life, and my roles in them. I could talk about any number of them, but I’ll limit it here to one. My use of technology (and being aware of its effect on me) has been an area that I have found increasingly important to consider. It’s no secret that our brains, our communication, our emotions and mood, our relationships, and more, are being affected and shaped by the technology we use. It’s been long posited that Facebook is making us lonely, and Google is making us stupid (and Instagram is making us envious and discontented, and endless access to news is making us cynical, etc etc). And that, perhaps more than anything else, having a small computer constantly in our hand (ie our phone) is making us distracted and disconnected.

This is enough in itself to spend some time honestly reflecting on our mastery of the technology we use. Not necessarily to reject these technologies, but to be fully aware of our own habits in this space, and the reality that we are being shaped by these technologies – so that we can be intentional with them.

For those who follow Jesus, we have another, and deeper, question: how is technology in my life affecting my discipleship of Jesus Christ? How can I pursue Jesus and the glory of God earnestly and honestly in the midst of these challenges of 2019? Are my technologies helping me to love Jesus and serve his people? Or are they distracting my mind and shaping my heart to reflect the world’s desires instead of his (1 John 2:15-17)? 

For most of us, the answer is probably both! Audio Bibles on our phone are a great asset. There are Bible and prayer apps which help many people. You can get rich Christian literature for free, or for very little, on the internet. Facebook (and other media) help us to communicate with people at church, and other people we love. Yet, scrolling compulsively or aimlessly through Instagram or Facebook helps us to neither work hard nor rest well, and often has the effect of negatively shaping our emotions and loves. Perpetually dinging phones are subtly subtracting from our care of and attentiveness to those who are physically present. The demands of technology can mean that sometimes (often?) we are distracted, stressed, poorly-rested, or just somewhat numb… which, in our frail humanness, isn’t conducive to sacrificially loving others well (both those closest to us, as well as those in our church family, or our wider community), or sitting at Jesus’ feet. This all brings a certain complexity to our relationship with our devices.

For me, I want to have my eyes wide open, and to regularly be re-assessing my use of technology, and bringing it before the Lord. As with so many other things, technology is a great servant, and a bad master. By God’s grace, I want to be exerting far more mastery over my tech than it is over me… using it to help me love Jesus and others; and fighting against the ways it pulls me away from this. For me, this is finding expressions in habits such as: putting my phone out of reach at various points in the day (and certainly in the first and last hours of the day). Having a blocker which limits my Facebook use to half an hour max. per day. (Tech helping me use tech well!) Turning notifications off for everything except texts and messenger. Developing better discipline in things like doing emails, messages, and tasks, so that I don’t feel compelled to open up my phone or laptop when I’m resting or focused on something else. Turning off the wifi in the house sometimes. Learning that sometimes it’s better to shrug and say “I don’t know!” to a friend than pull my phone out and start googling The Thing we both don’t know. Telling some of these to others close to me for accountability, and so that maybe we can make some changes together.

It’s a complex conversation – complicated further by negotiating the realities of building deep and real relationship with others who are also tied to their technologies. But it’s a profoundly important conversation to keep having… and the start of a new year seems a good time to prayerfully and honestly take stock of this part of our lives. For the glory of God, the sake of our souls, and to be faithful stewards of the time, gifts, and opportunities that God has given to us. For, as Jonathan Edwards realised, our days and years are brief and fleeting, yet precious - so let's spend them well.