Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD.” Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 2 Kings 22:8-12
The reading of God’s word is an important and necessary part of any Christian’s life.
Israel had forgotten about the Word and it had been lost for years.
Without that Word it was impossible for anyone to know what God expected from them.
As a result they strayed far away from God.
Does that sound familiar?
Someone asked me the other day to help them with a Bible reading plan.
Reading plans are like diet and exercise programs; it takes discipline to keep doing it day after day.
And like diet and exercise, you’ll begin to see results.
My advice was to keep a journal, a diary, or even blog about the daily reading; to write what it says to you, questions you may have, or how it references to something else in the Bible.
You can start anywhere in the Bible you’d like to, but I would recommend reading the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Each parallels the life of Jesus.
After that I think it’s necessary to find the roots of faith with the first 5 books of the Bible; the writings of Moses – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Get those 9 books down and I think you’ll be on your way to beginning to learn about what God has said to you!