Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general. Today we want to explore how we can make the journey through the Bible from cover-to-cover easier.
A good beginning is half the battle. – Portuguese Proverb Get good counsel before you begin; and when you have decided, act promptly. – Salhurst Always have a plan, and believe in it. Nothing good happens by accident. – Chuck KnoxMaking our journey all the way through the Bible is what this book is all about. And to do so, we want to find the keys that will make the trip much less difficult and much more enjoyable. Like on any trip, several key factors can change the future trip. Don’t forget Chuck Knox quote above, Nothing good happens by accident!”
Eight key factors can make our journey through the Bible much easier. Our journey will become easier when we consider:
- Our destination – where are we attempting to journey to?
- Our purpose – why are we making this journey in the first place?
- Our plan – have we considered a simple plan to accomplish our goals for this journey that is ‘experience appropriate?’
- Our budget – knowing our limitations in the area of finances before we go can help us adjust our plans and seek creative alternatives for “must see” items.
- Our maps – having detailed maps make our journeys so much more enjoyable.
- Our research – knowing before you travel helps you see more of the not-so-well-known but more-personally-interesting items that our journey has to offer.
- Our travel companion – a good friend to travel with makes the journey so much more enjoyable.
- Our guide – finding a great guide, one who understands the local perspective well, reaps untold rewards that guidebooks can never provide the first time traveler!
So let’s begin!
Our Destination
Where are we attempting to go? When Melodee and I first spoke about going to Hawaii with others, people began to ask us, “Which Island?” To be honest, we had never seriously thought about it, since we had never seriously believed we could go! As we explored the possibilities, we realized that traveling to the different islands of Hawaii was like traveling to different countries.
In Your Travel Guide to the Bible, we want to answer the most basic question, “Where do I want to go, as I journey through the Bible?” How do I discover that?
Clarifying Question
- Why did I pick up the Bible? This is your compelling “why.” Write it out again here:
________________________________________________
Our Purpose
I am appalled at the aimlessness of most people’s lives. Fifty percent don’t pay any attention to where they are going; forty percent are undecided and will go in any direction. Only ten percent know what they want, and even all of them don’t go toward it.
– Katherine Anne Porter[1]
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Why are we making this journey in the first place? Our purpose gives us our goals! Our compelling why then allows us to produce the “what” and thus, we achieve our compelling why!
Melodee and I began to review our compelling why in order to determine what we wanted to do while we were there:
“We want to go to Hawaii to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in a romantic setting, where we can leisurely enjoy both each other and our surrounding without a schedule.”
When we reviewed our compelling why, it quickly helped us write out our most important what. The key words in our compelling why actually produced our what. Notice these words in our compelling why: Celebrate, romantic setting, leisurely, without a schedule.”
With a good understanding of the why, you can then clarify the what using the following question:
Clarifying Question
- What do I want to get out of this journey? This is your “what” These are your ultimate goals. Again, you will need to write it down.
Easy-Pleasing Exercise
Take a few minutes right now. Write out the two or three main goals you want to achieve, as a result of your journey! You can write them in the following format:
“When I am finished journeying through the Bible, I want to:
(1) ____________________________________________________.
(2) ____________________________________________________.
(3) ____________________________________________________.
It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible. We will continue this series with our next installment: “How Can I Make the Journey Easier? Part 2” on Thursday.
For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.
You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.
[1] Maxwell, John C. The Success Journey. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1997. 77.
