Episode 412: Introduction to Season Two - Bible in a Year

Hi, this is Cheree, and this is an introduction for season two of the Meditating the Word Podcast. I'm taking the podcast in a different direction for 2023. 

As Christians, we know it's important to spend time in God's Word. It helps us deepen our relationship with him and it helps us to understand his will for our lives... after all, his Word IS his will. It's our instruction manual for living a life of faith. 

Reading scriptures at church once or twice a week just isn't enough. We are told that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Reading God's Word daily helps us to grow in our faith. Meditating on what God's Word says helps us to understand his character and helps us build a strong foundation for our lives. 

By keeping our focus on God's Word (and the Bible says that Jesus IS the Word made flesh!) it helps us to become more and more like him, to transform our lives by renewing our minds to the Word.

We don't live by bread alone, but by every Word from the mouth of God. And, since most of us eat every day, I believe we should also read God's Word daily.

And maybe you've tried to read through the Bible in a year before and didn't make it through the year. Let's face it, there are a lot of reasons people find it hard to read the Bible every day. 

We're all busy, and you may struggle finding the time to add a daily Bible reading into your already busy schedule.

Some people struggle with reading the Bible because they find it difficult to  understand. And I'll admit, it can be a challenging book to read and sometimes it doesn't seem as though what we read is something that we can apply to our daily lives. Yet, scripture tells us that every word is useful for instruction and correction. 

Or maybe you have so many challenges in your life right now, that it's difficult for you to focus on reading the Bible. Even though it could be the single most important thing you do to turn your life around, you may struggle to focus on your faith because you are preoccupied with so many other things. 

Finally, many people simply lack the discipline or motivation to stick with it. It requires commitment. And if you don't make it a priority in your life, you will find it hard to consistently set aside time to read God's Word.

It is my hope that this podcast will help you read through the entire Bible in 2023. 

The Bible is fascinating when you dig into it. It's one of the oldest and most widely read books in the world. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, with some of it in Aramaic. It includes the Torah (also known as the Five Books of Moses), the Nevi'im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). It was written over a period of about 1,000 years, from around the 12th century BC to the 2nd century BC. The tets were originally passed down orally, and  eventually written down and compiled into the books, chapters and verses that we know today.

The New Testament is a collection of texts that tell of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it includes letters (or "epistles") written by early Christian leaders, as well as the book of Revelation, which is a prophetic text that describes the end of the world and the return of Jesus. The New Testament was written in Greek during the 1st and 2nd centuries, and it is thought to have been compiled and edited by the early Christian community.

We will read through the Bible chronologically -- which means it won't be in the same order you find in your Bible, but rather in the order the events took place historically. I may or may not add a little bit of commentary at the end of the day's reading, depending on how I am led. Each episode will last approximately 20 minutes.  

I will be following the Blue Letter Bible 1 year chronological plan. You can download a PDF of this plan from blueletterbible.org/assets/pdf/dbrp/1Yr_ChronologicalPlan.pdf. I will place a link in the notes. 

The version of the Bible I will be reading from is the World English Bible. It is a public domain version of the Bible in modern English, and I believe many people will find it easier to read and understand than the King James Version. And being in the public domain by the generosity of its translators, means I can record this podcast without violating any copyright laws. You can follow along in the Bible App, or with the browser version, which can be found at worldenglish.bible. Again, I will place a link in the notes. 

You may start the podcast at any time, you don't have to start at the beginning. The episodes will always be available if you want to go back and listen to one you missed, or re-listen to one again. 

It is my hope that having a daily podcast will help you stay motivated to read (or at least listen to) the Bible in a year. 

If you would like to support this podcast, you may do so by buying me a cup of coffee at http://Ko-fi.com/cheree. 

I'm excited to read the Bible with you in 2023. And can't wait to get started on January first. 

Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing. 

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