Merry Christmas, One Degree fam! This episode is releasing on Christmas Day (although, we doubt that anyone is reading this on actual Christmas Day…). Thinking about this time of year, you’ve already made your Christmas decisions, but the New Year is coming up next and maybe you’re already thinking about your resolutions! So if you’re thinking about reading your Bible or starting a new plan in the New Year, this episode is for you!

View this episode as encouragement and a challenge to read your Bible consistently in 2024.

The Stats

Starting off with some stats… because I’m (Nathaniel) a math guy for sure.

According to a survey by Lifeway in 2019 (pre-Covid)…

• 32% of protestants read their bible every day
• 27% read it a few times per week 
• 12% read it once per week 
• 11% a few times a month 
• 5% once a month 
• 12% rarely or never 

(Yes, these numbers only add up to 99, they are rounded… you get the idea). Not only that… how many of the 32% that read it every day is comprised of a devotional that only has a verse or two of Scripture? I don’t know, but I’d venture to say a good amount. 

A Challenge!

The point of this podcast is not to shame you, but to challenge you (and us)!

If we truly believe that the Bible is God’s revelation to us, then it should be a focal point of our day. We should want to know more about God, become closer to Him, love Him more, etc…

So, today we are going to talk about what it looks like to be consistent in your Bible reading every day in 2024! We have four basic principles, so let’s dive in!

1. Fix your eyes upon Jesus

Pray that God would fill you with a hunger to know and love Him more.

I (Xan) struggle to not reduce my faith to mere academia. I struggle with the emotional and relational side of things. So this is a challenge for me to fix my eyes on Jesus and know Him more deeply.

Meditate on the cross and the truth of the Gospel. When we recognize the magnitude of the cross we will be more likely to want to know more about the God who died for us. It’s not about checking off a box and reaching all of our goals. Knowing and loving God should be the foundation of why we read the Bible.

2. Come up with a Bible reading plan

Failing to plan is planning to fail. When we don’t have plans or any type of structure, it is so easy to let it slide.

Plan:

• When are you going to read (consistent time of day).
• How long you are going to read.
• What are you going to read.

Don’t feel as if you need the idyllic morning sunrise with a cup of coffee reading time. But choose a time when you can be consistent.  

Google is your friend! Look up Bible reading plans and pick one! Keep it simple. Or come be a part of the Theologian Haus community – we have Bible reading plans with deep-dive supplemental material for each day, and our community FB page is a great place to get reading plan inspo.

Xan and I are doing Bible in a year in 2024! Don’t give up if you miss a day or get behind (Xan is a great example of this).  

If you’re used to doing devotionals, we’re going to challenge you to try not using those this year. Don’t rely on the commentary of someone else and small chunks of Scripture. The goal is for you to have Biblical literacy and know how to study Scripture for yourself.

3. Meditate, journal, or discuss what you read that day

Don’t just read to check a box. Think about and meditate on what you learned. Use your own brain and the Holy Spirit to think about what you’re reading!

Use a simple reading/study method! We love the SWORD Method (see below).

But there are a lot of different options! Check out this one-page resource to help you find a Bible-study method that works for you.

4. Have someone hold you accountable

Whether it be your spouse, a friend, a mentor, etc… Have someone hold you accountable to reading the Bible. Like weekly. If not more.

We are big on accountability and think it is a vital aspect of the Christian walk that is often neglected today. We hold each other accountable and are also in same-gender small groups. I (Xan) am in a group chat where we text daily about what we read (and remind each other to read if we haven’t yet).

One Degree Shift

Come up with a Bible reading plan for the year and get to it! 

Want to Stay a Little Longer?

• Listen to these other episodes on how to read your Bible, Bible study tips for beginners, and going deeper in Bible study.
• Download this guide to get started on going deeper into reading your Bible!
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter! We deliver one theological thought (among other things), once a week
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