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Christian Living

A Lifetime of Reading the Bible

Plan to Read Scripture to Feed Your Soul and Inform Your Life

I’ve read the Bible most of my life. It’s been a huge part of my faith journey. To be clear, this started out with my parents reading to me: one Bible story each night before I went to bed. This helped me know God’s Word at an early age and prepared me to read it on my own.

To be sure, during my days in elementary school, I read Scripture infrequently. This was because my preteen mind found the language of the King James Bible largely inaccessible and mostly confusing.

What little Bible reading I did in my preteen years was more drudgery than anything else. I learned little from it.

Read the New Testament

By the time I hit middle school, however, more accessible translations became available, at least for the New Testament. Mirroring my experience as a preschooler, I set a goal to read the Bible each night before I went to bed.

Eventually I worked my way through the New Testament. It took me a couple years because some nights I was too tired to read and other nights I forgot. But eventually I finished.

In case you’re interested, reading a chapter each weekday will get you through the New Testament in a year. It only takes two or three minutes to read one chapter. Surely this is a doable task.

Read the Entire Bible

By the time I reached high school, the Old and New Testaments were available to me in more language-friendly versions. The summer of my fifteenth year, I set the goal to read the entire Bible before school resumed.

This was before I got my driver’s license. I was stuck home all day, scrambling to find something worthwhile to consume my time.

Reading an hour most every day, I reached the end of Revelation in mid-August, a couple weeks before it was time to go back to school. Mission accomplished.

I later learned that the average adult reader can read the entire Bible in about 80 hours. I proved that claim to be correct.

Making Time to Read the Bible

If you think an hour a day is unreasonable for anyone except a bored teenager on a mission, let me ask three questions.

  1. How much time do you spend each day watching television?
  2. How much time do you spend each day gaming?
  3. How much time do you spend each day on social media? I suspect one or more of these areas consumes more than an hour of your time each day. Perhaps several.

The solution is simple. Cut back on entertainment and scale up to read the Bible. That doesn’t mean eliminate all television, gaming, and social media. It’s just a nudge to scale back and not let it consume so much time.

In my first reading of the whole Bible, I covered many familiar passages, albeit in more detail than my children’s Bible story book provided. I also discovered the less kid-appropriate passages too.

I assumed reading the entire Bible was a once-and-done effort. Even so, when I finished, I reverted to my nighttime Bible reading effort, albeit at a much slower pace: one chapter a day.

Though I met with better success then when I was in middle school, I still struggled. I found it hard to concentrate on the words in front of me as I fought off sleep. For some reason I could read fiction at bedtime but not the Bible.

Deciding When to Read the Bible

As an adult and a morning person, I switched my Bible reading to the start of each day. This fit me better—much better. I was more consistent in this practice and less fatigued by it. I learned more and better connected with God.

In my mid-twenties I felt the call from God to again read the entire Bible. This time my goal was to do it in a year. It took me twelve to fifteen minutes every day, but I did finish. Relieved to have met my goal, I was also delighted to no longer need to cover so much Scripture every day. I needed a break. Or so I thought.

It wasn’t long, however, before I felt God’s nudge to resume intentional Bible reading each day. That year I read through the New Testament. The following year I read through the Old Testament (ten to twelve minutes a day). The third year I again read the Old and New Testaments.

Pick a Version

Though I grew up hearing the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, I never used it when reading through Scripture. Today I mostly read from and study the New International Version (NIV).

Yet in my annual explorations of the Bible, I’ve used other versions or translations and benefited greatly. Each one gave me a fresh perspective on the text.

In addition to the NIV, I’ve also used the New Living Translation (NLV), The Message, Amplified Bible, and The Living Bible (which I wore out as a teenager). I think there have been a few others that I can’t recall.

The point is, don’t feel you must restrict yourself to one version. Mix it up. Variety is good.

Adjust as Needed

Since that time, I’ve had a Bible reading plan every year—except for a season when I didn’t. Here’s what happened: After a couple decades of regular, daily Bible reading, I became stuck. I would read the words but failed to comprehend them.

I persisted Bible reading as a discipline, assuming I would one day emerge from my rut of routine to reclaim the joy of reading the Bible each day. When it didn’t happen, I switched to reading other inspirational books for a time until I felt I could successfully resume my exploration of Scripture.

Rejuvenated, I jumped back in and persisted for a decade or so. But again, the day-to-day Bible-reading discipline eventually threatened to push me back into a rut. Refusing to allow that to happen, I decided to take one day off each week.

Instead of reading seven days a week, I now read six. In essence, I took a Sabbath rest from reading the Bible. Lest you think this day off happens on Sunday, Saturday works as a better day for me to pause my study of Scripture.

Taking a break one day each week prepares me to better embrace God’s word, study it, and learn from it on the other six.

I can hear someone complaining already: just as you feed your body each day, you must feed your soul each day too. Since you would never skip a meal, you can’t skip the Bible either. Hold on.

On most weeks I do take a daily break from food. I do a 24-hour fast. (In case you’re interested, my fast currently falls on Fridays.)

Reading my Bible each day, Sunday through Friday provides a great rhythm for me. I take a break on Saturday, which prepares me to dive back in the next week. The timing is ideal for me. I’ve now done it for years.

What does vary from year to year, however, is how much I read each day. Though usually I’m on a plan to read the entire Bible in the year, other times I slow my pace to cover the New Testament or even to focus intently on just a few books of the Bible.

Form a Habit of Reading the Bible

Doing this, I’ve read the New Testament about thirty times, the Old Testament twice, and the entire Bible more than ten times. It’s taken me a lifetime to reach these numbers. I plan to continue this habit for the rest of my life.

But don’t look at my lifetime of Bible reading and let it overwhelm you. Instead start small.

Read the Bible one day. Then read it a second day. Aim for a third. Keep the streak going. Form a habit. Soon daily Bible reading will become a way of life that you can’t do without.

Read through the Bible with me this year. Download the chronological Bible reading plan I will follow. (In case you’re wondering, to make this work for my schedule, I need to do seven days of reading every six, so that I can take Sunday off.)

If reading the entire Bible looms as too big of a task, consider a New Testament Bible reading plan, Old Testament Bible reading plan, or monthly Bible reading plans.

Regardless of which option you choose, the goal is to have a plan to read the Bible this year.

Then do it.

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

Warn One Another in Love

Consider What the Bible Says and How to Apply It

I’ve talked about the need for theological diversity in our churches. While we need to embrace those who hold different understandings of Jesus, we perhaps need to adopt a separate view of the behaviors of people who live contrary to God’s word.

Or maybe not. Instead, we need to warn one another in love.

Paul touches on this in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica. He tells them to stay away from those who do not follow his instructions. He specifically refers to what he says in that particular letter.

However, by extension, we could assume he means all the commands in the Bible.

But this might be dangerous, for we read the Bible through the lens of our experiences and not with the comprehension of the original audience or their situation.

It’s too easy to see what we want to see when we read the Bible and miss what God actually wants to communicate.

Even more worrisome is to imply that these verses offer a principal that we are to avoid those who don’t follow the words of their church leaders or spiritual guides. But this becomes even more problematic.

People are fallible, and many religious leaders have led their flocks astray by demanding compliance to some misguided belief. Don’t drink their Kool-Aid.

Who Is in Error?

We need to proceed with the utmost care before we criticize the actions of fellow believers. After all, we could be the ones in error.

If we do feel we must move in this direction, we should advance with great caution and follow Paul’s teaching in this matter: We are to not view these folks as an enemy but as a brother who needs a gentle warning.

We need to warn one another in love

I say it again, if other Christians don’t behave like we think they should, they are not the enemy. If we say anything, we need to warn them in love and not with self-righteous indignation.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Thessalonians 1-3, and today’s post is on 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15.]

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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Christian Living

Discover Life-Changing Truth from the Book Jesus’s Broken Church

Today’s Church Isn’t Working. It’s Just That Most People Don’t Know It.

Do you have a nagging feeling that something’s missing from your church experience? You’re not alone. It’s time to discover a better way.

It’s typical that people who read the Bible do so through the lens of their experiences. Christians use the perspective of their practices and look to find support in the Bible. Everyone does this. You do it, and I do it. It’s human nature.

Despite my tenancy to want to justify my religious preferences through the Bible, I strive to take the opposite approach. I look at what the Bible says and use it to inform what I do and reform what I’ve done.

I’ve applied this tactic in my new book, Jesus’s Broken Church. And I find little alignment between what we do in our churches today with what Jesus and the New Testament writers set in motion 2,000 years ago. It’s been a jarring yet invigorating discovery.

Now, at last, I get to share my findings with you. It will change how you view church and what your role should be. It will revitalize your spiritual practices from a solid biblical perspective.

Over the past several months I’ve blogged preliminary sections of my book, Jesus’s Broken Church. The response has been most encouraging.

Here’s what I’ve posted:

To read the final versions of this information, along with more content and additional insights, read the book Jesus’s Broken Church.

It seems my entire life has prepared me to write this book. This wasn’t a couple months of research. Instead, it was a lifetime of experiences, decades of questions, and years of writing. Through it all, I have strived to seek God in a holistic, God-honoring, kingdom-of-God way.

Now, I’m excited to share with you the insights of my lifelong journey with God through its many twists and unexpected revelations as it relates to the church of Jesus. Discover more in my book Jesus’s Broken Church.

Seek God in a holistic, God-honoring, kingdom-of-God way.

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, 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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Peter DeHaan News

Chronological Bible Reading Guide Now Available

Form a Habit of Daily Bible Reading to Guide You through the Year

Each year I have the goal to read through the Bible. And each year I invite you to read along with me. To help with this, my annual Chronological Bible Reading Guide is now available.

Chronological Bible Reading Guide

Each year I get requests for a chronological plan. And each year I try to make one, but I give up. It’s a complicated task.

The problem is a comprehensive chronological reading of the Bible requires a lot of details that won’t fit on a two-page sheet. Because of overlapping passages from different books, some days you would find yourself reading from multiple sections of different passages.

Along with being a lot of information to present, that’s too much page flipping and the potential for confusion. For a truly chronological reading of the Bible, get one of the many one-year chronological Bibles. These provide the best and easiest approach.

It is possible, however, to make an approximate chronological reading guide by putting the books of the Bible in order. This plan is my inaugural attempt to do so. I’ll use it for my annual Bible reading guide.

I encourage you to do so as well. It only takes 12 to 15 minutes a day. And each Tuesday throughout the year, I’ll blog about a passage from that day’s reading.

Download your own chronological Bible reading guide.

Other Reading Options

If reading the entire Bible in a year seems too daunting, scale back to a more manageable goal. I have a series of other Bible reading plans to guide you. Pick the one that works for you:

Form a habit to read the Bible. Download your preferred Bible reading plan today and be ready to start reading on January 1.

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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Christian Living

Reading the Bible: Not All Scripture is the Same

Consider Each Book’s Genre and Purpose When Reading the Bible

Paul writes to his protégé Timothy that all Scripture comes from God. We can use it to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in right living (2 Timothy 3:16). That is, everything in Scripture is useful.

We must keep this in mind when reading the Bible. This includes some of our less-favorite books, such as Leviticus.

Despite this, we will do well to recognize that not every verse carries the same weight as others. That doesn’t mean that some verses are not useful, just that other verses are more useful.

When reading and studying Scripture, we should consider this biblical hierarchy.

Reading the New Testament of the Bible

The New Testament focuses on the new covenant that we have through Jesus. We should direct our attention to the books of the New Testament, though not at the exclusion of the Old Testament.

Here is a breakdown of the New Testament books:

Gospels

The four biographies of Jesus—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—tell us what Jesus said and what he did. He serves as our teacher, clarifying our view of the Father and guiding us into right living (righteousness) that honors and worships God.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and life. He provides the pathway to Papa (John 14:6). After Jesus, everything else is secondary.

For this reason, the good news of Jesus’s life rises as the most important books of the Bible. We will do well to focus on them.

Acts

All the Gospels, and especially Luke, prepare us for what happens next. This unfolds in the book of Acts. Acts chronicles the events of the early church. It tells us what Jesus’s first followers did.

Their actions and their attitudes can guide us in what we do today in our churches—and in our life—as we serve and worship God.

After Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Acts stands as a critical book of the Bible when it comes to understanding our faith and putting it into action.

These first five books of the New Testament are its historical documents, and we can learn much from them.

Letters to All the Church

Third in importance in the Bible are the letters that Jesus’s followers wrote to the universal church.

Unlike letters to specific groups or individuals, these letters rise above them because they have a general-purpose that we can rightly apply to us today and that pertain to all situations.

These are 1 and 2 Peter, James, Jude, and 1 John. We’ll also include Hebrews in this list, even though its audience was implicitly Hebrew people and not all Christians.

Because these books, unfortunately, appear towards the end of the New Testament, many people don’t know as much about them, read them as often, or study them as deeply as they could—or should.

We need to change that. We must elevate the importance of these books because there teaching is universal and provides us with much value—if only we will tap into it.

Letters to Specific Churches

Following these general letters written to Jesus’s church, we consider those messages written to specific churches or individuals. Why do we make this distinction?

It’s because the content of these letters is intended for a specific audience and may not readily apply to everyone else.

They’re content may answer questions asked by the recipients or address struggles by the recipients that come to the authors’ attention.

If the passages in these letters are answers to questions, we don’t know what the questions are.

Therefore, it’s hard for us to know how to understand the response. And if passages address issues relevant to the recipient, we need to exercise care before applying them to us today.

Of greater value, however, is if we see the same theme, command, or advice repeated in multiple letters. Then we can rightly receive those as a general passage that is more relevant to us today.

One such example, albeit perplexing, is Paul’s recurring command to greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26).

Placing too high of an emphasis on these letters that have a specific purpose can cause confusion. We must take care and not place undue emphasis on these letters with a specific audience to inform our doctrine.

Revelation

The final book in the New Testament is Revelation. Its content applies to all Christians, but we must take care to properly understand its meaning, without overreaching.

It’s a vision from God, and just like the prophetic books in the Old Testament with their many future-focused pronouncements, we must discern how to rightly interpret the passages in Revelation.

Most people in the Old Testament, even those living at the time of Jesus, misinterpreted much of the prophetic words contained in Scripture. We run the same risk today when looking at Revelation.

We will do well to read those words figuratively and use them to draw one singular conclusion: In the end times there will be an epic battle between good and evil which will affect everyone on earth. God wins. The enemy loses. The end.

Reading the Old Testament of the Bible

As we read the Old Testament—and we should—we must keep its words in a proper perspective. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law and prophecies (Matthew 5:17).

We must, therefore, exercise caution in building a modern-day theology on the Old Testament covenant, which Jesus replaced.

One overreaching conclusion, which some Christians adhere to, is to dismiss the Old Testament. The opposite extreme is to put its words on the same level as the New Testament.

Again, forming doctrine based solely on what we find in the Old Testament puts us on a dangerous footing because we may be espousing a perspective that Jesus fulfilled.

The primary value of the Old Testament is to help us understand how Jesus fulfills it in the New Testament.

Here’s a breakdown of the Old Testament books:

Historical Books

The Old Testament opens with a history of God’s people. These books start with Genesis and go through to Esther. Their value is that they help us understand Scripture’s story arc, pointing us to Jesus.

As the saying goes, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” And the Old Testament has a lot of mistakes for us to learn from.

Knowing God’s expectations under his old covenant, helps us to better understand and accept his mercy and grace under his new covenant.

Prophetic Books

Closely following the value of the historical books in the Old Testament are the prophetic books. These cover Isaiah through Malachi.

They address the then-current state of God’s people and look toward the future. Some of their prophecies have been fulfilled—primarily through Jesus—and others we still await.

The prophetic books of the Old Testament help us anticipate Jesus’s arrival in the New Testament. And like the historical books, they enable us to see the sins of our forefathers so that we can avoid repeating their mistakes.

Poetic Books

The final group of books in the Bible is the poetic books. They are Job through Song of Songs, with Psalms being the most favorite, beloved by many. These are ideal books for us to read to spark our emotion. They can encourage us when we struggle.

They can lead us into powerful worship of God, our Creator. And they can supply motivational passages to inspire us and draw us to Papa.

The poetic books of the Bible are great when it comes to encouragement, inspiration, and informing our worship. We must remember, however, that this is a genre of poetry.

We must exercise care and not use a poetic verse to form a theological statement—unless we can find support for it in another part of Scripture.

Bible Reading Summary

All Scripture is useful to guide us in our faith journey. Based on the various books’ genre, audience, and timeframe, we can better understand how to apply it.

When reading the Bible, may you read and study all of Scripture.

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

Ask God to Go with Us

God Promises to Go Before His People and Be Their Rear Guard

In Isaiah’s lengthy prophecy, he tells God’s people in Jerusalem that they need to leave. However, they don’t need to leave in haste. This is because God will go before them and he will take up the rear.

That means, God will pave the way and he has their back.

That’s so comforting. However, this promise is to God’s people in Jerusalem. Does it apply to us today?

Yes and no.

Since Isaiah specifically gives this prophecy and its promise to the people in Jerusalem, we would take it out of context to apply it to us today.

We would be wrong to read this passage and automatically conclude that God will always go before us and watch our back.

However, that doesn’t mean he won’t do this. For God to travel with us, going before us on our path to pave the way and guarding us from a rear attack, we need to ask God to do this.

Instead of Claiming a Comforting Verse, Ask God for It

Since God promised to do this for his people in Jerusalem, this idea of him going before and bringing up the rear isn’t unprecedented. If he took care of them then, he’ll likely take care of us today. But we can’t claim this verse as our own.

It doesn’t apply to us. Instead we must pray it. We must ask God to go before us to prepare the path for our journey. And we must ask God to follow behind us, to protect us from surprise attacks that might catch us off guard.

We should keep this principle in mind as we read the Bible. Just because we see a comforting verse doesn’t mean it automatically applies to us today.

We’d be in error to claim it as our own when it belongs to someone else. However, we can certainly seek God’s provision and ask him to apply it to us today.

After all, if he did it for his people once, there’s a good chance he’ll do it for us again.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Isaiah 52-54, and today’s post is on Isaiah 52:12.]

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah 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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Christian Living

Discover How to Grow Spiritually

Our Spiritual Health Should Be Our Most Important Healthcare Concern

Many people today worry about their health. This can relate to their physical health, mental health, or emotional health. They have less concern, however, about their spiritual health—if they give it any consideration at all.

But our spiritual health is the most critical of all our healthcare concerns. It’s important for today and essential for eternity.

To pursue our spiritual health, seeking to maintain the status quo isn’t enough. This will fall short. Instead we must strive for spiritual growth. Here are the main steps we can take to grow spiritually.

Study Scripture

Daily Bible reading is an important aspect of spiritual health. I encourage everyone to do it, whether in short passages or in a grand plan to read the Bible in a year.

As we read the Bible each day, we hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11) and immerse it in our souls.

Just as we need to eat each day for our physical health, we need regular doses of Scripture for our spiritual well-being.

Bible reading, however, is just the start. As we read scripture, we should meditate on it (Joshua 1:8) and study it (John 5:39 and Acts 17:11). Then we should allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us through the words we read.

Bible reading, study, and meditation is the first step for people who want to grow spiritually.

Talk to God

Next is communicating with God, which we typically call praying. Yet for many people prayer is one way. They tell God what they need or want. Sometimes they thank him or even praise him (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Yet prayer should be bidirectional. It should be a dialogue. We talk to God, and we listen to what he has to say (John 14:26). It takes practice to hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, but learning to hear from God is worth the effort.

Prayer is the second step that helps us grow spiritually.

Engage in Community

Just as God lives in relationship with himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so too does he desire to be in relationship with us. He created us for community. This means spending time with other followers of Jesus.

We should not neglect this (Hebrews 10:24-25). Wherever two or more hang out in his name, he is there (Matthew 18:20). A unique spiritual connection occurs when we do this.

This could happen at church, or it could happen in other places. While Church should be a great place for Christian relationships to develop, many gatherings lack this opportunity for meaningful connection.

God created us in his image to thrive in community.

When we engage with intention to connect with other followers of Jesus, we grow spiritually.

Serve Others

These first three elements of spiritual growth prepare us for the last. This is to serve others (Matthew 25:35-40, John 3:1, James 1:27, and James 2:14-17).

There are limitless opportunities for us to help others. These can be to meet the physical needs, emotional needs, or spiritual needs of those around us. Often addressing one of these three areas connects with the other two.

Serving others can occur through giving our money or our time. Either way it’s an investment in their overall physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. And as we help them, we grow spiritually.

Summary of How to Grow Spiritually

The first two elements of spiritual growth—Bible study and prayer—relate to our relationship with God. Our spiritual health starts there.

The third element—intentional Christian community—relates to our relationship with other followers of Jesus.

This is essential, but for us to get the most out of our time with other believers, we must first pursue God through Bible study and prayer.

Christian community looks internally at the body of believers.

When we put all three of these steps together the goal is an outward look towards others to serve them and point them to Jesus. This is the purpose of the first three steps: to help others with their own spiritual health.

To grow spiritually we must study Scripture, pray, hang out with other Jesus followers, and serve those outside our community.

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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Christian Living

Form a Habit of Regular Bible Reading

Hide God’s Word in Your Heart

God gave us the Bible so that we might learn about him and draw closer to him. While some people think of the Bible as God’s instruction manual for right living and proper performance, I think of it more as a love letter.

Because God loves us (Romans 5:8) and wants us to be in relationship with him, he adoringly provides the Bible to us to guide us and draw us to him.

The Bible, along with Holy Spirit guidance, stands as God’s greatest resource for us to live a life worth living for our Lord’s honor and glory.

All we need to do is read its words.

How’s that going for you? This isn’t a question to make you feel guilty. It’s a gentle prod to encourage you to embrace regular Bible reading. Just as we need food to sustain us physically, we need a regular helping of God’s Word to sustain us spiritually.

Read and Study Scripture

How you go about immersing yourself in God’s Word is up to you, as guided by the Holy Spirit. But don’t leave this to chance, because if you do, life’s issues will push Bible reading aside and you’ll never find time to do it. Instead be intentional.

Form a habit of daily Bible reading, study, and meditation.

Schedule time each day to read God’s Word. Commit to doing this daily until it becomes a habit, as natural as eating and sleeping.

You may want to use a daily devotional or Bible study to lead you in immersing yourself in Scripture. Or you may opt to follow a daily reading plan that will intentionally and methodically guide you into reading and ingesting large sections of Scripture over time.

This will produce a holistic understanding of its contents. The main thing is to have a plan for reading the Bible, and follow that plan.

Though I’ve used daily devotionals and Bible studies to direct my reading of God’s Word, I prefer a daily reading plan. There are several Bible reading plans to choose from, and I have four options for you to consider.

An Annual Bible Reading Plan

I like to read the entire Bible each year. This includes reading the sections I like and the sections I struggle with. This is so that in one year I’ll complete a comprehensive survey of the entire Bible.

It only takes twelve to fifteen minutes a day. But this is a small commitment to help us grow in our faith and pursue a healthy spiritual life.

A New Testament Bible Reading Plan

If reading the entire Bible in a year, carving out a quarter of an hour each day, seems like too much of a commitment, I get it. I’ve been there. How about three to four minutes each weekday? That’s how much time it will take to read the New Testament in one year.

An Old Testament Bible Reading Plan

If you’ve read the New Testament and want to expand your Bible reading, but aren’t ready to embark on reading the entire Bible, consider a thorough look at the Old Testament. By reading ten to twelve minutes a day, you can read the Old Testament in one year.

Monthly Bible Reading Plans

If none of these options feel like the right fit for you and you want to start out small—or start midyear—consider a monthly Bible reading guide. This is a great way to get started in regularly reading the Bible.

Pick a Plan and Commit

There are a lot of options to reading the Bible. Pick one and commit to it. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

Any Bible reading is better than no Bible reading. Remember, God gave us the Bible so we can learn more about him and be in relationship with him.

This is the most important relationship we’ll ever have. Don’t squander it

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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Christian Living

3 Ways to Categorize Scripture: Discover How God’s Relationship with Us Shifts Over Time

Though God Never Changes, the Bible Shows Us How Our Interaction with Him Has

As we read the Bible, it’s easy to stumble onto confusing and even conflicting perspectives of who God is and how we should interact with him.

This is because God has revealed himself in different ways throughout the various historic arcs or periods of time in the Bible.

Here are three ways we can categorize scripture and better understand God.

The Two Testaments of the Bible

The Bible has two testaments or sections, which we call the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is the first and easiest way to categorize Scripture.

The Old Testament addresses Father God’s relationship with his people and anticipates the coming Savior.

The New Testament focuses on that Savior, Jesus. It covers his ministry and the work of his followers. These are two testaments—that is, two testimonies about God—in the Bible, but there are other ways to view these segments of time.

Three Parts of the Bible

When I study the Bible, I like to consider it in three parts, as three epochs in the Bible. I see God interacting with his people in different ways in each of these sections, as parts of the Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

This is a second way to categorize scripture.

The Old Testament: The first part is the Old Testament, with Father God as the star. It looks forward to Jesus.

The Gospels: The second part covers the life of Jesus through the perspective of four biographies, which we call Gospels—that is, the good news about Jesus—written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus is the focus, with the Father playing a key supporting role, and the Holy Spirit beginning to emerge.

The Early Church: The third part covers the early church, Jesus’s followers. The focus of the church is Jesus’s life and teachings. The Holy Spirit arises as the principal guiding force, launching at Pentecost.

Ten Ages in the Bible

Yet as we read through the Bible, the way God relates to his people and how they understand him changes over time. If we look at each of these ages in the Bible apart from the others, we see God a bit differently in each one.

Considering ten ages in the Bible is a third way to categorize scripture.

1. Eden: We start in the Garden of Eden. God is in perfect community with Adam and Eve. They hang out. They spent time with each other.

Though this phase doesn’t last long, we can anticipate its return when our present reality wraps up and the new heaven and new earth emerge.

2. Sin and Separation: When Adam and Eve disobey God, their sin drives a wedge between the relationship with them and God. They must leave their idyllic existence, the garden of Eden.

After that God becomes distant, vaguely present and estranged from his creation.

3. The Reboot with Noah: We chug along with God sitting far away for several centuries until the time of Noah. With evil rampant, God does a reboot of humanity with Noah and his family. I

n doing so God takes a step forward to reconnect with his creation.

4. The Call of Abraham: We see the next transition occur with Abraham. God calls him to go to a new place and into a new relationship. Abraham’s descendants will emerge as God’s chosen people.

5. The Law of Moses: Next Moses comes along to lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt and to return to the land God promised Abraham.

This marks a significant transition because God gives them the Law: instructions about how to worship him and live right, rules of what to do and not to do.

Now, for the first time since Adam and Eve left the garden, the people have specific directives for how God expects them to act and connect with him.

6. Judges Lead—Sort Of: Moses brings the people to the promised land and Joshua takes them into it. For a time, God is their king, at least in theory. A series of judges try to reorient the people’s attention to God, but their efforts don’t last.

7. Kings and Prophets: Starting with Saul, the people have their first king, effectively pushing God aside as their ruler. The age of kings sees its pinnacle with David.

Then it diminishes insignificance over the centuries that follow until Israel and later Judah are conquered and deported.

The work of most of the prophets coincides with the age of the kings.

8. Repatriation and Preparation: After a time, some people return to the land God promised Abraham. They rebuild what they can, both physically and spiritually, but both fall short of what they once were.

Despite the dismal time, God is at work, which we see mostly in the Apocrypha (scripture that not all Bibles include). This prepares for the arrival of Jesus.

9. Jesus Changes Everything: We see the most significant shift occur with the arrival of Jesus. He fulfills what the Old Testament points to and anticipates. He doesn’t do away with the Law. Instead he transforms it from rules into relationship.

10. The Early Church: Led by Holy Spirit power and guidance, the church of Jesus is born. The rest of the New Testament addresses this.

We can use this to form our understanding of following and worshiping God, through Jesus as prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Categorize Scripture Conclusion

God’s way of revealing himself and connecting with his people differs in each of these ages in the Bible. Realizing this helps us to better understand who he is and comprehend his many facets.

For another perspective, check out the “Six Eras 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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Peter DeHaan News

Women of the Bible: The Victorious, the Victims, the Virtuous, and the Vicious

How Does God Really Feel About Women?

Listen to some people in church. Watch what they do. It may cause you to assume God views women as second class. Far from it.

The truth is, the Bible has story after story about how fascinating women are. They’re more nuanced than men, have profound insights we all often overlook, and can teach us wisdom that everyone needs to hear.

Women of the Bible, by Peter DeHaan

In Women of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD., digs deep into these Bible stories and uncovers how these women rise above their circumstances—even though society pushes them down.

He also explores the women who were powerful, in both good and bad ways, and what we can learn from them.

In this book, you’ll discover how to celebrate your victories, embrace your virtue, have more compassion for the victims in our world, and avoid the errors of the vicious.

It’s time for a change. It’s time for a fresh perspective. It’s time for every woman—and man—to discover powerful truths from the Women of the Bible.

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

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.