Genesis to Revelation {The Bible in 31 Days}

As believer's we know the importance of reading the Word. I have always wanted to read the Bible from start to finish, and though I have started many times with the best intentions, I usually drop off around Deuteronomy. Don't get me wrong, I read scripture daily during my quiet time. I am going to be honest, there were parts of the Bible I had never laid eyes on. Whole books of the Bible, even. I was convicted because if I claim to serve and follow Jesus, then I should know His word. After all, Jesus is the Word in flesh.

God has been calling me into deeper waters with Him and I have a hunger for Him like never before. I want to know His heart, His character, His word. I started feeling an urgency to read God's word. I tossed around the idea of reading the Bible in three months, but felt the Lord calling me in even deeper.

One month. That was the time table He laid on my heart. I didn't even know it was possible to read the Bible in a month. I had never heard of anyone I know tackling that challenge. So I did a bit of research, read testimonials of others who had finished it in 31 days, and decided on the right reading plan for me.

On March 30, I began in Genesis with "In the beginning..." and on April 29, I finished in Revelation with "Amen. Come Lord Jesus."

I read the Bible in 31 days, fulfilling my vow to God as an act of obedience to His calling. I cannot begin to express how much my eyes have been opened. I see God the Father much more clearly now, and I have an intimacy with Jesus that is unlike anything I've had since I first met him nearly ten years ago. I have seen the heart of God, and His faithful love for us, through His amazing story.

I read on average 2.5-3 hours daily. With such large amounts of text to cover, I took a different approach to looking at the scriptures. Instead of focusing on the details {who, what, when, where} I tried to look for God in each situation. I focused more on His responses to His people, the way His hand moved upon them, and how He reacted towards them.

While I could never fully describe just how this challenge has changed me, I will outline a few things that stood out to me the most.

One. God's unfailing love and character are always in the foreground amidst the backdrop of man's sinful tendencies to wander astray. Our God is a hands-on God, not a distant person watching from the sidelines. I noticed things about Him that I had never paid attention to before. For instance, after creating Adam and Eve in His image, for fellowship, they sin and thus separate themselves from a holy, pure God. Instead of washing His hands of them, God loves them unconditionally. After disciplining them for their disobedience, it says "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them {Gen.3:21}." The Lord had compassion on them, and rather than let them walk around in fig leaves, He not only made them clothing, but He dressed them. What a powerful example of a loving God who wants an intimate relationship with us.

Two. God's message and plan of salvation are consistent on every single page. Anyone who says the Bible is inconsistent obviously hasn't spent much time in the Word. After reading through just the Old Testament, it is impossible to doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Many people think of Jesus as being the focus in the New Testament, but He is a constant thread running through the Bible, beginning in Genesis and weaving all the way through to Revelation. God continually points to a new covenant, a way to bring His people back to Him, a Holy sacrifice that will allow us to have intimate fellowship with God the Father. The book of Revelation has always been a bit overwhelming for me, but this time around it felt more like a celebration of God's victory over sin and death.

Three. My familiarity with the Scriptures was astounding. The most common plan of reading through the Bible is one year, however, by the time you finish you've lost familiarity with the early portions of scripture. During my daily living, when I encountered issues of my own, or when I helped counsel others, I was able to pull a plethora of scriptures and passages from both the Old and New Testaments to help guide me. I was so well acquainted with the scriptures because it had only been a few days since my eyes had read them, so they were vividly fresh in my mind.

This has been an amazing journey for me, one in which I plan to do every January as a way to start off the year. About a dozen others have been inspired and have joined this journey as well- some are reading it in 31 days, others in three months. I cannot wait to see how God moves them through this experience.

If you want to experience God through His word in a powerful way, then I challenge you to take this journey and not finish a changed person. If you'd like to take the 31 Day Bible Challenge, below is the reading plan I followed. This isn't something to take lightly. Instead, circle it in prayer and enter it knowing the cost. If you decide to take the challenge, I would love to hear from you so that I can pray for you during this journey.

Day 1:Genesis 1-39
Day 2: Genesis 40-Exodus 31
Day 3: Exodus 32-Numbers 3
Day 4: Numbers 4-Deuteronomy 6
Day 5: Deuteronomy 7-Joshua 9
Day 6: Joshua 10-Ruth
Day 7: 1 Samuel 1 - 2 Samuel 12
Day 8: 2 Samuel 13- 2 Kings 3
Day 9: 2 Kings 4 - 1 Chronicles 3
Day 10: 1 Chronicles 4 - 2 Chronicles 13
Day 11: 2 Chronicles 14 - Nehemiah 6
Day 12: Nehemiah 7 - Job 24
Day 13: Job 25 - Psalm 21
Day 14: Psalm 22 - 57
Day 15: Psalm 58 - 93
Day 16: Psalm 94 - 129
Day 17: Psalm 130 - Proverbs 18
Day 18: Proverbs 19 - Isaiah 6
Day 19: Isaiah 7 - Isaiah 42
Day 20: Isaiah 43 - Jeremiah 16
Day 21: Jeremiah 17 - Lamentations
Day 22: Ezekiel 1 - 39
Day 23: Ezekiel 40 - Joel
Day 24: Amos 1 - Zechariah 10
Day 25: Zechariah 11 - Mark 6
Day 26: Mark 7 - John 6
Day 27: John 7 - Acts 22
Day 28: Acts 23 - 2 Corinthians 6
Day 29: 2 Corinthians 7 -2 Thessalonians
Day 30: 1 Timothy 1 - 1 Peter
Day 31: 2 Peter - Revelation


On a different note, this is my 600th blog post! A big thank you to my readers for sticking with me through nearly 6 years of blogging!