40 Days...

I have not been a Christian for the majority of my life.

So, knowing that I've got a lot of catching up to do, I make it a point to make sure I spend a fairly good amount of time every day in God's Word.

That is, in no way, me trying to brag.

Anyone who knows my story of "Will before Christ" knows that I have very little to brag about regarding matters pious.

I just happen to really like reading. And since I also just happen to really like the Bible...reading through it on a regular basis just comes easy.

Matter of fact, it may be too easy.

I recognize that we all have certain things we can just naturally do well. We also have things we naturally do NOT do well.

For me, reading is a breeze. A pleasant breeze at that.

But ask me to fix something that is broken around the house...and let's just say that it's "Deena to the rescue".

So, here's my point...

I don't think that it really takes a lot of genuine dedication on my part to read the Bible.

I don't have to truly dedicate or "push myself" on something that just naturally comes easy.

Where I might easily zip through it on a six month or 1 year plan, skipping days here and there, someone else might have to really and fully apply/dedicate themselves to get through it in that time.

An example would be my awesome wife Deena.

Deena is super intelligent. But she's NEVER been a reader. Not at all.

But she now demonstrates an incredible level of level of Christian dedication by reading at least four chapters a day...every day...no matter what.

For her, as someone who has never enjoyed reading..this is an amazing testament to her love of God's Word.

But for me, since I'd likely be reading something anyways....it could just as easily be a temporary change in the reading subject matter for a little bit.

So where, for one, it can be a supreme act of dedication and sacrifice...for the other it can almost be a casual afterthought.

Now Enter Pastor Al -

OK, this guy is amazing. He's been reading the Bible, cover to cover, at least 2 times a year, EVERY YEAR...since his early 30's.

If I remember correctly, he is currently on his FIFTH time through this year....and his most recent cover to cover reading has been OUT LOUD.

Seeing this man's incredible dedication to "push himself" regarding the Word of God has really been an inspiration to me.

So, I've debated about keeping this to myself, but decided I would go ahead and share this with y'all:

Inspired by the incredible example demonstrated by both my wife and by Pastor Al, I felt compelled to read through the Bible in 40 days.

A little over a week ago, on Oct 15th, I divided the total number of pages in my shiny new Bible by 40 and dedicated myself to reading the 31.25 pages daily that it would take to complete a full reading on Nov 23rd.

So far, I'm on track.

To date, it's been a challenge, but it's also been a really awesome experience..because I'm finding myself totally saturated with the Word of God through the day.

Having this period of choosing the Bible over TV, etc is helping me really tune in to God on a more personal level.

So, what I've learned so far is that, while I likely won't still be reading 31.25 pages a day after Nov 23rd.....I will make sure I follow the lead of both my wife and Pastor Al and forever now fully appreciate the value of making sure I retain a personally signifigant level of daily time in His Word.

It is truly His Word.

He uses it to speak to us.

And we need to dedicate ourselves to staying connected to His Voice.

-Will