The joys of a habit

I learned to read the Bible when I found out that I didn't know much about Jesus Christ. Zeferelli's film, "Jesus of Nazareth," fascinated me so much that I watched it four times--in the moviehouse. When a high school classmate gave me a New Testament as her way of sharing the gospel with me, I discovered that many of the lines in the film were in the Gospels! To add to my shock, Jesus did and said a whole lot more that the film didn't show. I felt like Lucy opening the door of C.S. Lewis' wardrobe into the world of Narnia!

Another friend taught me to use Our Daily Bread in my journey as a beginning Bible reader. I even followed the way she folded the booklet (three months' worth back then) and inserted it in her Bible. But I came up with my own style of journaling. Our Daily Bread led me to read other parts of the Bible such as Paul's letters and the Old Testament. I found other Bible versions in the house--Revised Standard Version and Today's Living Bible--and compared their wordings with those of the King James version. This helped me understand some words that didn't make sense to me. Many years later, I settled for the New International Version.

Bible reading wasn't always fun and interesting. Especially when I was experiencing many problems and struggles, and my Bible reading didn't seem to help at all. Reading books by well-known Christian writers, listening to dynamic preachers (either live or on radio) and joining a Bible study group taught me to look for more hidden "gems" in my Bible reading. I found out that sometimes my problem was just plain disobedience. When I followed what the Bible said, I felt free and light!

I now follow a reading plan that covers the entire Bible in three years. I read a chapter a day. Not just once, but five times. It's both discipline and adventure. Then I write down the most significant verse or passage from the chapter and what it means to me in one page of my journal. Regardless of what I'm going through, my Bible reading gives me focus and helps me commit my day to God better. Most of all, I learn to love my Lord Jesus more and more. And that's the sweetest part of all.