A WORD FOR TODAY, December 18, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion. If you received it from a friend, you can see other devotions and studies by visiting our website at www.awordfortoday.org.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, December 18, 2025
“Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31, WEB
It is only two weeks until 2026, and I am sure you are beginning to think about changes you want to make in the new year. Will you commit to healthier living? Better time management? A new attitude about money? Work on your relationships? There are so many ways we can change our lives, transform us into better people. Some ways are easy and small; others are so big that they are overwhelming.
For most of us, those New Year’s resolutions begin strong because we are passionate about the new person we can become. Then we get stuck. We miss a couple days at the gym because the weather is too bad, then it is hard to be motivated to go back when the weather is good. We say “yes” to too many projects and suddenly every hour is filled with work. We can’t deposit in our savings because we have car trouble. Something happens and the differences in our relationships causes the work of reconciliation to stop. We fail and we give up.
Another resolution many people are making in their relationship with God. What will you do to enhance your prayer and devotional life? Will you begin a Bible reading program? Will you start a 365-day daily devotion? Will you promise to make it to church every Sunday or join a Bible study? There are so many choices. How do you begin?
This may seem hard to believe, but I have never read the Bible cover to cover. I have read every book, every word, several times, and studied much of it in depth, but I have never actually read it from the first word of Genesis to last word of Revelation. I once read Walter Wangerin’s book “The Book of God” which is the Bible in novel form. I’ve heard the stories many times through the lectionary readings in church. I know several people who have read the Bible cover to cover (some more than once!) and they were greatly blessed by the experience.
Some of those daily readings set up unrealistic expectations. They are designed to get it done in a year, meaning it is necessary to read about three chapters a day. This is easy on some days, when we our schedules aren’t filled with too many activities, but it gets harder when we are busy. It becomes almost impossible to catch up when we get behind. I have bought books to follow and even given myself the grace to read when I have the chance, but I haven’t managed to finish. I have given up on those programs after just a few weeks, often because I am overwhelmed by the long stretches of non-narrative texts.
Lynn Bowen Walker in her book “Queen of the Castle,” admitted to having a similar problem. She decided not to try to follow one of those unrealistic programs and read as she was able. It took her seven years. I think her encouragement will help others try to read it at a pace that leaves room for those busy days. If something happens and I can’t read one day, it isn’t too hard to recover.
I’ve read through the Bible in a year through other programs that skip around the Bible. There is nothing wrong with this approach, after all, the Bible is a library. A library is a collection of books, often so large that it would be difficult to read them all. A trip to the library means making a choice as to what book you'll read. But with so many to choose from, how do you select? The Bible is a collection of books gathered that tells the story of God from the beginning of time to forever. I like a program that looks at a different genre each day of the week: epistles, the law, history, Psalms, poetry, prophecy, and Gospels. I have read through that plan several times; there’s something about the variety that makes it more manageable for me. (https://www.ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans, it is the first one on the page, but there are other choices available.)
The Bibles most of us use are not in chronological order, although some versions have tried to organize it in that manner. This is difficult to do because some of the books tell parallel stories. Other books are hard to place in history. The Psalms skip all over the timeline. The Jewish scriptures place the books we know in the Christian Bible in a different order. Different genres are peppered throughout the canon. There are many writers with many different perspectives.
The books of the Bible have a common purpose, but each book also has a unique purpose. Some show us what God has done. Others tell us who God is. Yet others help us to see what God is doing. The books reach out to different audiences, and though the entire book is meant for all, the books speak to us in particular ways at specific times. I think sometimes we assume that reading the Bible from cover to cover will make us know and understand everything there is to know about God. It will certainly help us to grow. Every moment we devote to reading and studying God’s Word helps us to grow in faith and in knowledge of God. However, we will never fully know Him. Yet, of all the resolutions we can make in the new year, the most important is to enhance our knowledge of God and we do that by spending time in the Bible.
Even though the Bible is the most accessible revelation of God to His people, there is much more to know about Him than could have been written in any book, even the Bible. Imagine what it would be like if everything about God could be written! However, we are called to keep the Bible near to us, to open it daily, to read as much as we can. God speaks to us in many ways, but it is through the words of the authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write His story that He has revealed Himself to our hearts and our minds so that we will know His grace and apply it to our lives.
Where should you begin your daily routine of reading the scriptures? When selecting a book at the library, I might get a book recommended by a friend or some other source. I may also go into the library with a subject in mind, so search the card catalogue for the proper book. Sometimes I just scan the shelves for a favorite author or a title that seems interesting. The book I choose at the library depends on the reason I’m there. Sometimes I need some reference material. Sometimes I just want a book to read for pleasure. The library we call the Bible is no different. Sometimes we need to read the scriptures for a purpose: for wisdom, comfort, encouragement, or edification.
A good place to begin a daily routine of scripture reading is with a daily devotional of some sort. There are many books available on the market, and daily readings available on the Internet. These readings help you to establish a habit of daily reading. Do not solely rely upon the writings of the author, though. Open your own Bible to the scriptures they use. Read and study the whole chapter in which the verses appear.
Reading the Bible from cover to cover is an honorable accomplishment, but the Bible is not necessarily meant to be read as you would read a novel. It is a library, and nobody goes to the library with the goal of reading every book on the shelves in the order they are displayed. Let us also remember that we don’t have to accomplish our reading of the scriptures in a certain amount of time. It is best to commit to daily reading, hearing God’s Word and learning to apply it to our lives. Whether we read and meditate on one verse, or read through multiple chapters, the purpose of daily reading is to spend time with God.
There may be days when you just don’t have the time. We do get busy, and sometimes our busy-ness is exactly where God is calling us to be. However, it is important to commit to spending time with God each day. If you miss a day, pick up the book the next day and begin again. If you get too far behind, then allow yourself the grace to go beyond the plan. Whatever you do, do not give up. And most importantly, whatever you choose, always seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit through prayer - before, during, and after - and let Him write the Word on your heart so that it will always be available to you when you need the comfort of God’s presence in your every day life.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.