Tag: Bible

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Peter DeHaan News

Old Testament Reading Plan

Get your free Bible reading plans today: Read the Bible This Year.

Read Through the Old Testament by Investing a Few Minutes a Day

The Old Testament reading plan Bible guide is now available.

By reading about 10 to 12 minutes a day, an average adult reader can cover the entire Old Testament of the Bible in one year.

The schedule, however, does not make people read the Bible straight through from page one to the end. “It’s too easy to get bogged down by one section of the Bible,” said the plan developer Peter DeHaan.

DeHaan’s method for all the options is to cover the Bible in sections, reading from only one book each day, completing that book before moving on to the next one.

“Every December people email me asking about Bible reading plans for the New Year. Each year we add more options and enhance our existing guides,” said Bible scholar Peter DeHaan.

Readers may freely share the Bible reading plans without restriction, as long as it is for noncommercial use.

Other Options

In addition to the Old Testament Reading Plan, author Peter DeHaan also provides two less ambitious Bible reading schedules. One covers just the New Testament. And the other is a set of twelve monthly reading plans.

“It only takes three to four minutes a day, five days a week, to read the New Testament in one year,” added DeHaan, “The New Testament plan is our most popular. And many people follow it up with our Old Testament reading plan the next year.”

In addition to the annual Bible Reading plans, ABibleADay.com also has hundreds of pages of information about the Bible, including Bible FAQs, Bible terms, books of the Bible, and a Bible blog.

Download one of the annual Bible reading plans, and have a Happy New Year!

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Check Out Bible Gateway

biblegateway

The Best Online Scripture Resourse

I’m taking a one-week break in my posts about women in the Bible to talk about a good friend who just had a facelift. I didn’t know this was coming and was shocked when I saw the results. Hardly a recognizable feature remained.

In fact, I panicked: something’s wrong! Even after a few days, I’m still getting used to the new look.

My good friend is not a person, however, but a website: BibleGateway.com.

I use BibleGateway almost every day to research the Bible. I can quickly look up verses in multiple versions, providing insight and clarity.

The New International Version (NIV) is my default version, with supporting help from the New Living Translation (NLT), Contemporary English Version (CEV), Amplified Bible, and The Message.

I also use it to search for words or phrases. This is a great tool to look up verses I somewhat know, such as “What’s the verse that talks about the first who will be last?”

Four verses came up: Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 10:31, and Luke 13:30.

I also use the word search to do word studies, such as how many times is love mentioned in the book of First John?” The answer is 25; only Psalms mentions love more often.

Another example is “How often does the reoccurring metaphor “end of the rope” occur in The Message?”

The answer is ten, six of which are in Psalms. (See my post “At the End of Your Rope.”)

Of course, there are many more resources on BibleGateway, but I use these two daily.

Check out the new BibleGateway. It’s sleek design, elegant look, and new features smartly support the invaluable resource behind this new look.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Sealed Scrolls in the Bible

In Isaiah’s prophecy, there’s a reference to words in a scroll. But no one can read the contents because the scroll is sealed.

Later, God tells Daniel to take the words of his prophecy and seal it in a scroll until the end of time.

In Revelation, God gives John a scroll and tells him to open it. But John can’t because it’s sealed. He cries profusely because he sees no one worthy to open the seal.

But there is one who can: Jesus. Jesus is worthy to break the seal and access the prophecy.

Later, as a final word, God tells John not to seal up his prophecy. The time is right; it must remain accessible.

In the Old Testament, scrolls are sealed. In the New Testament, Jesus breaks the seal. This is one more incredible connection between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfillment.

Than you, Jesus.

[See Isaiah 29:11, Daniel 12:4, Revelation 5:1-10, Revelation 22:10.]

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Christian Living

The Good, Better, and Best of Spiritual Understanding

In my post “What I Learned From The Great Divorce,” I shared three levels of spiritual understanding for a book: reading it, seeing it preformed, and discussing it afterward. These have parallels to our spiritual journey.

1. Read

I was intrigued when I read C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. However, my primary reaction was confusion. There was too much for me to grasp, especially in one read.

The same is true about the Bible. It’s certainly an intriguing book, but a common response is confusion. There is much there—and we will never fully grasp it all, especially if we read and study it in isolation.

That’s not to imply reading the Bible is without value. Bible study is important, critically so. But reading the Bible should never be the sole means for spiritual growth and knowing God. We need more.

2. Watch and Listen

Analogous to attending a play is going to church. There’s something valuable about the shared experience. When we see and hear the minister talk about the Bible, our understanding deepens.

However, church is a passive experience. With the extent of our involvement limited to singing along with the musicians, we mostly watch. The rest of the service is one way, with our leaders performing and us observing. There needs to be more.

3. Discuss

Talking about the play (or the book) allows for interaction. It’s with the give and take of dialogue that deeper understanding emerges.

The application is a faith community that allows members to mutually edify and minister to one another, not passively receiving (as in church), but actively engaging with each other: sharing insights, offering encouragement, and suggesting application.

It’s iron sharpening iron, the intersection of belief with practice. It’s spirituality at its best.

Spiritual Understanding

When it comes to spiritual understanding, reading the Bible is good, going to church is better, but existing in community is best.

May we do all three, as we focus on what’s best.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Read the Bible with Care

read the Bible with care

Don’t Add to or Subtract From Scripture

Most people who read the Bible are careful—or so they claim—not to add anything to God’s written word or to take anything away from it. They read the Bible with care.

A commonly cited verse to support this practice is Revelation 22:18-19, which pronounces plagues for those who add and implies eternal death to those who subtract.

However, John isn’t referring to the entire Bible but only to the record of his dream.

Applying John’s warning to all of scripture is taking these two verses out of context.

A similar warning against adding or removing words occurs in Deuteronomy 4:2 and Deuteronomy 12:32. Again these passages only apply to laws God gave to Moses.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day would have done well to follow what Moses said in these two verses, because over centuries of time, religious leaders added thousands of rules and regulations beyond God’s original words.

Their efforts at clarification may have been well intended, but in doing so, they directly violated what God prohibited.

These verses, while narrow in scope, offer a principal applicable to the whole Bible: don’t add to it or take away from it. Yet people do this all the time, elevating personal practices and opinions to the authority of biblical mandate.

Earlier in my life, I spent time with people who, with godly fervor, decried drinking, smoking, dancing, and playing cards. Never mind that the Bible never said these were of the devil, yet our pastor proclaimed them to be so.

More recently, I visited a church with odd requirements for women to wear dresses and not cut or color their hair. Where did that come from? I could go on.

If we’re going to read the Bible with care, to follow what the Bible says, let’s actually follow what it says and not interject our own ideas or delete our own biases.

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Christian Living

Maximize Our Understanding of the Old and New Testaments

old and new testament

Those who follow Jesus often concentrate on the part of the Bible that focuses on his life and his disciples’ work. But neglecting the Old Testament lessens the depth of our appreciation for who he is and what he did.

It was likely St. Augustine who said, “The New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old Testament is in the New revealed.” There’s a lot packed into this tiny sentence.

Though less profound and missing the depth of Augustine’s insight, I paraphrase his words as “The New Testament fulfills the Old, while the Old Testament foreshadows the New.”

Indeed the Old Testament overflows with allusions to the New, but I never saw most of them until I started looking. It seems the New Testament is not so much a redefining of the teaching found in the Old, but a refocusing on what’s already there.

In a similar manner, the New Testament is full of references to the Old. Some of these appear directly, while many more are subtle and not so easy to spot.

Sometimes a thorough understanding of the Old Testament is required to fully appreciate the nuances of the New, while other times a thorough understanding of Hebrew practices and ancient traditions is needed.

As we comprehend more about what is really in the Old Testament, the New becomes more significant. As we know more about what the New Testament says, the Old becomes fuller.

They are opposite sides of the same coin, not two disparate teachings. Embrace both.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Ten Most Difficult Books in the Bible

Ten Most Difficult Books in the Bible

Just as I have favorite books in the Bible, I also have a few I struggle with. You’ll likely agree with some on my list, but others may surprise.

But just because they are not my favorites one, doesn’t mean I don’t read, study, and write about them!

My least favorite books of the Bible are:

1. Leviticus is packed with laws, rules, and expectations. With patience, there’s much insight to discover. Yet, after a while, my eyes glaze over.

2. Deuteronomy repeats some of Leviticus and adds more. The implications are wonderful, but it’s a tough read for me.

3. Isaiah is loved my many with its frequent allusions to Jesus. Yet it’s also long and plodding for me to read.

[Learn more in my book For Unto Us.]

4. Jeremiah is an interesting tale, but a discouraging read and may not be in chronological order, adding confusion.

5. Lamentations is a series of five poems or laments, formatted not unlike a funeral dirge. This is not my preferred genre.

6. Ezekiel contains perplexing visions and strange imagery. There’s a lot to unpack.

7. Psalms is essentially a prayer journal. It’s raw and honest, resonating with many, but often distressing me.

8. Hebrews contains incredible information connecting Jesus with the Old Testament, but I struggle to work through it.

[Learn more in my book Run with Perseverance.]

9. John is the “go to” gospel for many people, but his poetic style doesn’t click with me.

[Learn more in my book Living Water.]

10. Revelation is a book of an epic battle between good and evil. Good wins. The end. But the details weigh me down.

[Learn more in my book A New Heaven and a New Earth.]

Check out my list of Top Ten Books in the Bible.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Top Ten Books of the Bible

Top Ten Books of the Bible

The Protestant Bible contains 66 books, while the Catholic Bible adds seven more. I’ve read them all, seeing value in each one. But I like some more than others.

Here are my top ten books of the Bible:

1. Luke was a doctor and the only non-Jewish author in the New Testament. He writes as an outsider, more readily connecting with those on the outside.

Luke has a straightforward style, with compelling language. The book contains details not found in the other gospels and includes the oft-read Christmas story of Jesus.

[Learn more in my book That You May Know.]

2. Acts, also written by Dr Luke, continues where the book of Luke ended. Luke and Acts comprise a gripping two-book combination. Noteworthy in Acts is nearly 100 mentions of the Holy Spirit.

[Learn more in my book Tongues of Fire.]

3. Daniel begins with six stories about Daniel and his three buddies. The last half contains four visions from God about the future.

4. Jude encourages believers to “contend for the faith” and contains warnings about ungodly people who have infiltrated the church.

5. James presents many practical teachings. Some misunderstand the book as setting aside faith in favor of good works, but this is not the case.

6. Genesis contains accounts of some colorful characters whose actions are sometimes hard to understand. Yet this is life: raw, perplexing, and occasionally, shocking.

7. Ruth is a captivating story of a widowed woman’s loyalty to her mother-in-law and the resulting reward for her devotion.

8. Esther is an intriguing story of obedience, duty, risk, and love.

9. Tobit is a supernatural epic adventure. It would make a great paranormal movie. Really.

10. Judith is the tale of a beautiful woman who daringly delivers her people from their enemies, using beauty and charm, all the while maintaining her virtue.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

After We Hear God, We Must Obey Him

obey God

In the post “Hear God” we looked at Jesus’ instruction to “hear the word of God and obey it.”

“Hear the word of God” is usually understood to mean “read the Bible,” but it might be more correct to comprehend it as meaning “listen to the Holy Spirit.”

Regardless, the concluding part, to “obey,” is the critical aspect.

When it comes to obeying the Bible, we do so selectively. We take some parts literally and some figuratively.

We discard some commands as no longer being relevant and we interpret others from the perspective of modern society. We may obey the Bible, but I fear we all obey it in part.

Then there’s obeying the words, the promptings, of the Holy Spirit. This can be even more confusing. Did we hear correctly? What if we only heard part of the message?

Did we understand it fully? Do we interpret the words literally or figuratively?

While we may not hear everything, everything we do hear from God, we should obey.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on  Luke 11:28.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Hear God from the Bible and the Holy Spirit

hear God

Once when Jesus was wrapping up a teaching, he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” What exactly does he mean?

Hear God from the Bible

In our culture, we often consider “the word of God” to mean the Bible. So the common understanding is we need to read the Bible and obey it.

However, the part of the Bible about Jesus (the New Testament) didn’t exist at the time, so he couldn’t have been telling the people to read and obey something that hadn’t yet been written.

Hear God from the Holy Spirit

But since Jesus is both man and God, he could have used “hear the word of God” as a euphemism to mean “hear me.” While we can’t directly hear Jesus today, we can hear from the Holy Spirit he sent to us.

So maybe Jesus means he wants us to hear the Holy Spirit.

For some people it’s easy hear God and for others it’s nonsensical, while for the rest this is feasible but difficult and confusing and infrequent.

Yet, we may need to pursue listening to the Holy Spirit if we are to truly “hear the word of God.” (Learn how to hear from God.)

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:28.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.