Read Through the Bible Next Year: Part 3

This is part 3 in a series.

• Part 1 can be found here.
• Part 2 can be found here.

Yesterday I wrote,

Reading through the Bible is hard, but it is not too hard for you.

and

If you finished elementary school, you have the ability to read the Bible through next year.

In the next couple of posts, I will give you some tips and tricks that will show you how to get through the hard stuff.

My first piece of advice is neither a tip nor a trick. It is an admission: If you are going to read through the Bible in one year, it will take a fair amount of self-discipline. There, I said it. Without self-discipline, you’ll never make it. All the tips and tricks in the world cannot substitute for self-discipline. As you read through the Bible in 2008 (or whenever you decide to do it), there will be many times when you have to start reading when you would rather do something else. There will be times when you have to keep reading even though you would rather quit. Self-discipline is the only way to keep going when the going gets tough. And, while self-discipline can become a form of legalism, it is not necessarily incompatible with true Christian growth. See 1 Timothy 4:7.

Self-discipline means choosing to read the Bible when you’d rather go to bed or stay in bed. It is choosing to read God’s Word rather than play another game on your Nintendo Wii or watch “another great episode of Law and Order.”

Self-discipline is tough and if you didn’t develop it as a child, it is more difficult to exercise as an adult. We adults have many other responsibilities that can keep us from doing the most important stuff if we lack self-discipline. For much more on this topic, read Paul Graham’s great essay, “Good and Bad Procrastination.” [But put off reading that until you’ve finished reading this post, OK? Reading it later is an example of “Good Procrastination.” It is also a form of self-discipline, especially if you like Paul Graham’s essays as much as I do. I’ll wait until the end of this post to link to Paul's essay, just to help you put off reading it.]

But even though it is difficult to develop self-discipline, it is not impossible. Adults learn to do it all the time. We decide to stick to a diet, to stop being late, to exercise daily, to get up earlier for a new job, etc. These are all decisions of self-discipline and, although people sometimes start them without following through, many people do follow through. You can, too.

So, my first set of tips and tricks are ones that will help you develop self-discipline.

1. Set a time and a place and guard them like Fort Knox. If you can alter your current set of habits to include reading the Bible for 30 minutes per day, reading through the Bible in a year will not be that difficult. Your life is already highly structured—probably more structured than you realize. Most people wake around the same time each morning and go through the same ritual. Maybe you get up and immediately shower, then shave, then do you hair and so on; or maybe you brush your teeth first or eat breakfast first. Regardless of what your pattern is, most of us have developed a routine—a set of habits—that we follow without directly thinking about each step in the process.

   We start and continue these habits down to the smallest level of detail, too. When you shave or apply makeup, you almost certainly start on the same side of your face every day. We are creatures of habit and our habits structure the way we live.

   Now, to take on a big project like reading the Bible through in a year, you will have to change your current set of habits. If you wait until you remember to read the Bible or until you feel like reading the Bible, you will not make it past Exodus 10 all year long. But, if you consciously change your daily habits to include this spiritual discipline and you keep doing it daily in the same place, at the same time, you’ll be well on your way before Valentine’s Day. Be sure to pick a time that you can easily protect—after the family goes to bed or before they get up; before people arrive at the office or while the kids take their daily naps; during your lunch break or right after dinner. Write it down in your appointment book everyday if you need to. Then when someone wants to get on your schedule at that time, you can tell them truthfully that you have already have an appointment then.

2. Start today; don’t wait for January 1 to roll around. Now that you have decided when and where you are going to read the Bible daily, start today. Read Genesis 1-4 at the time and in the place you chose. If you wait a week it will be that much harder, so start today. Is it cheating to start early? Maybe, but do it anyway. Accomplishing the goal is way more important than doing it within the 366 days (remember: leap year) we will call 2008. This goes for you, too, if you found this essay in my archives and are reading this sometime in July or whatever. Start now. There is no magic on January 1.
3. Tell someone else about your goal and tell them to bug you about your consistency. Accountability is sometimes overrated. After all, we can lie to each other; we lie to ourselves all the time. But when you really want to do something tough and aren’t sure if you have the self-disclipine to do it, having someone check up on you can be a big help, if you are honest. Your spouse lives with you, so it will be harder to lie to him or her, especially if you tell him or her your time and place. In fact, maybe your spouse will decide to join you in this goal, at the same time and maybe even in the same place. It will be better for both of you than watching Law and Order together five nights a week.
4. Make something you like or need dependent on this goal. Do you really like Law and Order that much? Then set a little rule for yourself that you won’t watch it unless and until you have read your four chapters for the day. Someone said, “No Bible, no breakfast.” For you it could be “No Bible, no bed,” but the point is the same: you break your current habits long enough to establish a new one.

More tips and tricks tomorrow. Your assignment right now is to read Genesis 1-4 before today ends. OK?

And now, Paul Graham’s essay, “Good and Bad Procrastination.”