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As a new year begins, I want to encourage you to reflect on cultivating spiritual disciplines in your life to know God more. The main spiritual disciplines are reading God’s word, prayer, attending church, and the fellowship of believers. There is an old saying, “If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.” Many Christians are floundering because they are aiming at nothing. Make a resolution to pursue God and honor him. One of the biggest things you can do is to read the Bible. 2 Tim 3:16-17 says, 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

If we are equipped for every good work through the word, then we are fools to not read it. I want to encourage you to read the word and give you some practical advice on how to begin. 

First, pick a good translation. There are countless translations available. Make sure you get one that responsibly translates the text. My favorites are the ESV, CSB, and NIV. These are in modern English so they are easier to understand than the Old English of King James. I also enjoy study Bibles that help you understand hard passages and key ideas. Here is my recommendation for a good Bible to start with. 

Next, develop and plan and a goal.  I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible in a year. Twenty to thirty minutes a day will allow you to do this. That is the equivalent of one television show a day, and it is WAY more beneficial. And if you aim for a year and it takes you longer that is OK! This goal will have a tremendous effect on your walk with God and knowledge of him.

Get a plan on how to read through the Bible. Some may decide to simply pick up the Bible and start reading front to back (Canonical Reading Plan). That is a great approach and helps you understand the unfolding events of the Bible. There are hard parts of the Bible and there is no avoiding those. When you get to Leviticus, it's ok to skip some parts, they will make more sense as you read through the Bible.

Other plans are the McCheynne Plan (two chapters a day from the Old and New Testament), a Chronological Plan (reading the entire Bible in the order events unfolded). A google search will give you even more options. I use an app on my Phone called "Reading Plan" that provides a few different options and for each option it gives you a daily breakdown of what to read. You can check them off as you read. Also, I like to read with a hard copy Bible in hand and not electronically as I am more easily distracted on my phone or computer. Having a Bible in hand makes that time feel different than when I do other work activities, and that distinction is helpful when approaching God's word. 

Also, read with a pen in hand. If something stands out and you want to remember it then make a note on it. If you have a question or don’t understand something then put a question mark beside it. If there is something that might encourage another, write it down. As you read, questions will get answered, you will feel God speaking to you, and you will grow in helping others. And also, there will be much you don’t understand. It’s ok. We will never know everything about God. Focus on what you do understand and are learning. A relationship with God is just like a relationship with anyone else, it is more about the process than achieving goals.