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Finished!

[Thursday evening’s run: 4.4 miles; Saturday: 6.2 miles]

It took me a long time, but I recently finished checking off all of the boxes on my Bible reading schedule. I’ve officially read every chapter. I had started at the beginning in times past and gotten into the prophets going straight through, and I had read the New Testament. So I always assumed I had covered it all here and there. But now I have the proof.

I still think my favorite book other than the gospels is Jonah. The gospels have Jesus talking with everyday people, so they are special.

My other comment is that there is a lot more mysterious stuff than I had remembered. There are little things here and there that I’m like, “what is that about?” The main themes are pretty clear. Well..

I’ll put it this way. I see a main theme of Faith, that people are to trust that there is an overarching way that events have unfolded and will unfold; and Faith that God is doing the right thing. Just look at the “faith hall of fame” chapter in Hebrews. You have some people who did heroic stuff and some people who suffered tremendously and they are all on the same list. The “oh this will all work out fine” attitude is not really in there except in the very very long run. And even that is more of an assurance that God will be glorified, not that I personally will.

I think another theme is that we know enough but we don’t know it all. He is not telling us everything. And He didn’t tell his main people everything in the past either, stuff kind of unfolded. So we know stuff that Moses didn’t know and there are things yet to come that we don’t know. And that’s Ok. The whole faith-like-a-child thing: you aren’t capable of knowing it all so run with what you’ve got. Which means you have to have Faith again that a Corrector will come along and correct you when you need it.

Well, I got it done and it’s on the Internet forever. (or as long as I keep on paying the bill for the hosting)

2 replies on “Finished!”

This is an accomplishment – congratulations!

In recent years I would read my Kindle at night before sleep. Using the NLT start at Genesis and read through Revelation. No schedule, just start at the beginning again when I finished. It has worked for me. Then a couple of years ago I started waking up early in the mornings; anywhere from 2 to 4 a.m. So I did reading then of various devotional books that augmented my night readings.

Well, sometime this year I decided to use my printed NLT in the morning to go from the back to the front by book, knowing I’d meet my nighttime reading somewhere along the way. It happened a week or so ago and now I’m reading in Luke both times of the day.

There is always something new, something reminded that was forgotten, something reinforced.

I’m so grateful that reading has always been an enjoyable thing in our family. I think it came easily to all of us siblings, maybe because Mom is a teacher and we were encouraged in it. So many people don’t really like to read much and that makes it hard to get started.

To your point regarding faith and the “faith chapter”, this is from the New Living Translation:
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

I do like this translation, but kind of wish they’d capitalize the pronouns referring to God like the older translations. It just seems more respectful to acknowledge the difference between Him and me. 🙂

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