The One-Year Plan

Last year, I decided to start a "read-through-the-bible-in-a-year" plan. I have been wanting to do it for a long time, but I guess never thought I could do it, or something like that. So I signed up on biblegateway.com for a plan that would e-mail me every day the chapters I should read for that day: three chapters every day, and five on Sunday would get me through the bible in one year. I figured getting daily e-mails would help me stay on track and remind me every day to read my bible.
Last week, the plan came to a close...I did it!! I have officially read through the ENTIRE bible!! It was a little weird, because I started the plan in May, so I didn't start with Genesis and end with Revelation. I started with 1 Chronicles and ended with 2 Kings. But hey, it's done isn't it?!
Earlier in the year, my brother-in-law Christian also finished reading through the whole bible, and my sister-in-law Kelly asked him, "Well, what did you learn?" He said that he thought wisdom was obviously very important, and he said a few other things. So, I thought I would dedicate this time to tell you what I learned from reading through the bible. I'll take you through a few key things that I noticed.

1.) God is in control of everything - whether good or bad.

• Daniel 4:35 - "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”"
• Proverbs 24:12 - "If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

2.) Wisdom is indeed important.

• Proverbs 2:6 - "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."
• Proverbs 3:13-14 - "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold."
• Ephesians 1:17 - "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

3.) Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

• Matthew 7:22-23 - "Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"
• Matther 13:3-9 - “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Those are just a few of the many things I learned whilst on my journey through the bible. I will say that reading through the bible really did help me to better understand God's character, and really helped me to know that no matter what happens to me, God is in total control of it. He has a plan for everything. It's up to us to put our trust in God to carry us through whatever is going on, because He will be faithful and He is strong when we are not.
I also payed closer attention to the stories that most of us are familiar with (Noah's Ark, Jonah, Jesus' birth, etc.). There were times when I found myself going, "Wow, I never noticed THAT before!" Realizing that just taking those stories for granted is not enough. When you read it for yourself, the stories take on a whole new dimension that you may never have even knew.
If you haven't joined the "cover to cover club," I would encourage you to do so. It may seem daunting at first, but just a few chapters a day will get you there before you know it.
So what now?? As I was reading, I took not of a few books that I wanted to go back and read again to study more thoroughly. So that's what I'm doing. I am so thankful I was able to do this, and so thankful that God guided me through and helped me to understand His word.