What is the Reading Level of My Bible?

In my morning study today, I came across this interesting information that indicated the reading level
of various versions of the Holy Bible.  I thought you might find this interesting too.  The Bible is a great book to read.  It is known as the bestselling book of all times.  Actually, I believe the Bible is more than a typical book.  It is a living word from God.  That is, it is sacred tool God uses to speak to us.  If you read the Bible prayerfully, God speaks to you.  Time in the Word is a conversation with God.  All books can speak to us in some sense, but God speaks to us in the Bible in a special way.  

However, can you understand your Bible?  Many people have expressed to me their difficulty in reading and understanding the Scripture.  I understand and have at time faced this difficulty too.  Today, I found some information on biblegateway.com that indicated the reading levels for various translations.  How difficult is it to understand your translation?  If you are having trouble understanding your Bible, maybe you should choose a translation that is easier to grasp.  Here is what biblegateway says about the reading level of the various Bible versions:

Not everyone agrees about the minimum grade level of every translation or the formulas used to calculate them. But we offer as general guidelines the following range of USA school grade levels (taken from information provided by the publishers of the various translations wherever possible) and age levels. The first number is the grade level for which the Bible is generally considered accessible; the number in parentheses is an estimated age at which a reader can fully read and understand it:
Mounce — 12+ (ages 17+)
KJV — 12+ (ages 17+)
RSV — 12+ (ages 17+)
Geneva — 12+ (ages 17+)
WEB — 12+ (ages 17+)
NRSV — 11+ (ages 16+)
NASB — 11+ (ages 16+)
Amplified — 11+ (ages 16+)
MEV — 11+ (ages 16+)
LEB — 11+ (ages 16+)
ESV — 10+ (ages 15+)
J.B. Phillips NT — 10+ (ages 15+)
NABRE — 9+ (ages 14+)
NIV — 7+ (ages 12+)
CEB — 7+ (ages 12+)
NET — 7+ (ages 12+)
GNT — 7+ (ages 12+)
ISV — 7+ (ages 12+)
NKJV — 7+ (ages 12+)
HCSB — 7+ (ages 12+)
The Voice — 6+ (ages 11+)
NLT — 6+ (ages 11+)
CEV — 5+ (ages 10+)
GW — 5+ (ages 10+)
The Message — 4+ (ages 9+)
Living — 4+ (ages 9+)
ERV — 4+ (ages 9+)
NCV — 3+ (ages 7+)
ICB — 3+ (ages 7+)
NIrV — 3+ (ages 7+)

The Truth As Far As I Can Tell...

Great Books to Read

Copyright March 24, 2015 by Chris Mullis 

 

Proverbs 18:15 – “Intelligent people are always ready to learn.  Their ears are open for knowledge.”

            I did not like school when I was a kid.  Even though I made good grades, it was boring to me.  I couldn’t wait to finish school so I didn’t have to go anymore.  However, my Mom told me, “You should never stop learning.  You should try to learn something new every day, even after you are done with school.”

            Now that I am grown and finished with my formal education, I find I still want to learn.  I enjoy science and history.  I like to learn new skills and understand how things work.  I also enjoy listening to audiobooks and find it is an excellent way to learn.  At the end of this article, you will find a list of some of the best books I’ve read that I recommend to you (in no particular order).

The Bible – Whether or not you read any other book, please read this one.  Sadly, only 19% of church-going Christians report they read their Bible every day yet we watch an average of 5 hours of TV a day.  I challenge you to pick up your Bible and start in Matthew and read at least one chapter a day.  It will take about 5 minutes a day and you will read the entire New Testament in one year.  It’s time every Christian rediscovers the Bible and makes a commitment to read it.  Of course, I’m no expert and certainly don’t claim to know everything, but that’s the Truth as far as I can tell…

God loves you and so do I!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith – The captivating story of Ashley Smith, a recovering drug addict, who was abducted and held hostage in her apartment in 2005 by Atlanta courthouse killer Brian Nichols.  Perhaps you remember the headlines that gripped the world, but you need to read the amazing story of how God changed everything for Ashley.
 

As We Forgive by Catherine Larson – This is an excellent book that examines forgiveness and reconciliation.  Retelling the stories of survivors of the Rwandan genocide who learned to forgive and reconcile with the very people who committed the atrocities.  This is a book that everyone should read to understand the amazing healing available through Christian forgiveness.
 

Is God Anti-Gay by Sam Allberry – Everyone is talking about gay marriage and public opinion is shifting on the issue.  What does God say?  In this very easy-to-read and understand book, Allberry (a pastor who struggles with same-sex attraction) teaches God’s position on the issue according to the Bible.  This is an excellent book that almost anyone can read and it is very timely for what is going on in our world.
 

Heaven is for Real by Lynn Vincent and Todd Burpo – I did not like the movie very much, but the book is excellent and thought provoking true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven.  He survives and begins talking about his experience to his parents.
 

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller – This book fundamentally reshaped the way I think about this famous passage from Luke 15.  Jesus told this story more for the “good” people of the world than for those who have strayed.
 

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – This Christian classic is an intellectual read, but Lewis does a masterful job explaining what Christianity is at its most foundational level.  If you can handle a heavier reading, this is a great book to read.
 

 1493 by Charles Mann – This is not a religious book and it’s long and it may not be for everyone.  However, this is a great book if you love history like me.  The book examines the dramatic ways our world changed as a result of Columbus’ discovery of the new world.  Everything from our food to where we lived was forever altered by what Mann calls the “Columbian exchange.”  It shifted my understanding of how our modern globalized world came into existence.

Endurance by Alfred Lancing – Another history book, Endurance chronicles the saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas.  The book made me think, “If this crew could survive this harrowing adventure, I can survive any struggle that may come my way.”
 

 Unbroken by Laura Hillderbrand – The riveting story of Olympian and WWII war hero Louis Zamperini’s life.  The book was recently made into a blockbuster movie, but the movie only scratches the surface of Zamperini’s life and leaves out critical portions of how Louis came to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade and latter spent his life facilitating a Christian Camp for troubled boys.  Do yourself a favor and choose the book over the movie.

 

More Great Books I Would Recommend:

·       Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel

·       The Peacemaker by Ken Sande

·       Words to Eat By by Ina Lipkowitz

·       Killing Jesus by Martin Dugard and Bill O’Reilly

·       Developing the Leader Within by John Maxwell

·       Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

·       Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley

·       The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

·       Dune by Frank Herbert

·       Deliverance by James Dickey

·       The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Bob DeMoss and Rebecca Alonzo

·       The Unchurched Next Door by Thom Rainer

·       When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg

·       Alter Ego by Craig Groeshcel

·       The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

·       One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

·       Enough by Adam Hamilton

·       Radical by David Platt

·       The Pastor by Eugene Peterson

·       Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

·       Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent

·       Crazy Love by Francis Chan

·       Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck

·       Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur

·       Patriotic Fire by Winston Groom

·       Plan B by Pete Wilson

 

 

3. Get Rid of Distractions

Copyright March 16, 2015 by Chris Mullis
John 2:13-16

Introduction

            Life is hectic.  There are so many demands on our attention.  Work demands our attention.  Telephones ring.  Kids need to be fed and shuttled to and from school and practice.  The church and PTA need volunteers.  We have appointments to make and deadlines to meet.  All these distractions make it difficult to focus on what’s really important.
            God knew our lives would be hectic.  That’s why He gave us a special day to rest and worship—the Sabbath Day.  In the beginning, the Sabbath was on the seventh day—Saturday—for on the seventh day of creation in Genesis, God rested.  But Jesus rose from the grave on a Sunday, which came to be called “The Lord’s Day.”  And it didn’t take long for almost all Christians to choose Sunday as their primary day for worship.
            So we come here to the “Sanctuary,” a place that is safe and holy, a place designated to worship God.  We seek to forget the cares and concerns of the world for a time and focus on Christ.  And as we do, we hope to find some clarity about what’s really important in life so we go back out into the hectic world centered and balanced once more.
            Many things distract us—things that aren’t really important, things that lead us astray, things that might be good, but just are not right for us at this time.  Most of us don’t take time to examine our lives close enough to determine what our priorities are.  So today I want to focus on getting rid of distractions in your life and focusing on the priorities God has set for you.  Let’s go to the Bible and look at a time when Jesus got rid of the distractions in the Temple.

John 2:13-16

¹³ It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money.

• Jews all over the world in Jesus day dreamed of going to the Passover celebration in the Jerusalem Temple.  People came from all over the world.  It was not uncommon to have over 2 million people in the holy city for the Passover.  Throngs of people hoping to worship God on this sacred occasion.  Yet when they arrived,  they found a ruthless system designed to exploit them.  Every man 20 years and older had to pay a Temple tax, which was about a day and a half’s wages for the average man (roughly $150 by today’s standards) [i].  The money was used for the upkeep of the Temple and ongoing construction projects.  That’s not so bad.  It did take money to maintain the Temple.  But it got worse, because the tax couldn’t be paid in foreign money. The Roman, Greek, and Egyptian coins most people carried had to be converted to Temple money—the Shekel.  There were money changers stationed all over the Temple for this purpose and each one charged for their services.  What it all boiled down to is it could cost you an additional $100 just to change your money to the right currency!  It angered Jesus that such a heavy burden was laid upon these already poor, working class people.

¹⁵ Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. ¹⁶ Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

• As if the exorbitant fees of the money changers weren’t bad enough, it got even worse.  You see, most people visiting the Temple would need to sacrifice an animal during worship.  If you were poor, you could buy a pair of doves to sacrifice for about $100 if you bought them outside the Temple (or you could bring your own).  But all animals had to be inspected by the Temple authorities to make sure there weren’t any blemishes (and it cost $25 to get the inspection).  And (who would’ve guessed) almost all animals bought or brought from outside the Temple would inevitably fail inspection.  Not to worry though.  You could buy a replacement inside the Temple—at an additional cost.  The same pair of doves that cost $100 outside the Temple cost $1,875 inside the Temple[ii]! (And you thought the markup on movie theater popcorn was bad!)
• And of course all this buying and selling and the inevitable arguments and angry people being ripped off was an unbearable distraction to worship.  And it took place in the Temple in the court of the Gentiles—which was the only place Gentiles were allowed to worship God.  Jewish people had other places to worship, but Gentiles only had this raucous outer courtyard in which to pray.  Jesus was filled with righteous anger and he chased everyone out.

Distractions and Purpose

            Our world is full of distractions and if we’re not careful, our lives can become consumed with things that have little or nothing to do with why God put us here.  Like the noisy, busy money changers and livestock sellers in the Temple, these distractions rob us of our time and money—something of which we already have too little.  Perhaps it’s time to purify our lives just as Jesus cleansed the Temple.  You have to decide:  Do you want to waste your precious resources on things that ultimately aren’t important or do you want to spend your time and money on things that really matter?

In 2002, Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California, wrote an amazing book called The Purpose Driven Life that lays out the 5 main purposes for your life.  If you aim for these, you will do things that matter and you will find great fulfillment as you live out God’s purposes for your life: [iii]     

1.     You were made to worship God.  You weren’t put here for your own pleasure.  You were  How much of your time and money do you spend worshipping God? put here to glorify God, to love Him, and to be amazed by Him.

2.     You weren’t meant to be alone.  You were made to be part of God’s family, where you are loved, accepted, encouraged, and held accountable.  You need good people in your life and they need you.  How much of our resources are devoted to relationships with the family of God, the Church?

3.     You were created to become like Christ.  You are here to learn and improve your character.  This life is an incredible training program to prepare your soul to be the image of God.  Don’t pretend to be perfect.  Be real about your shortcomings and be willing to work on them.  How hard do you train to become more like Christ?

4.     You are here to serve.  Even Jesus said he came into the world to serve and not to be served.  How much more true it is for you!  It might seem counter-intuitive to find happiness by serving others, but you were designed to serve; and in doing so you will find great fulfillment.  How much of your life is devoted to serving other?

5.     You were made for a mission—to tell people what Jesus has done for you.  Jesus commanded us to do this and promised to help.  You don’t have to be a preacher or Sunday school teacher to do it.  You just have to be honest and share your experience.  If Jesus has changed your life, tell people.  If he hasn’t changed your life (or if you don’t think he will), why are you even here? 

Examine Your Life

            I think Rick Warren nailed it with these five purposes.  Maybe you don’t agree, but have you ever really examined your life to see what it’s all about?  What on earth are you here for?  You have a purpose.  What is it?  And are you doing things that move you closer to your goals or distract you from them?

Most people never take the time to consider these things.  They just float along the river of life, going wherever the current leads.  It’s sad to think of all that could be accomplished if people would just wake up from their slumber and start living out their purpose.  If only people would come alive and choose to live for a higher purpose, the world would be forever changed.

            The violence Jesus demonstrated as he cleansed the Temple often disturbs people.  It upsets our image of Jesus as a meek, peaceful holy man.  We like the Jesus who gently welcomed children and carried lambs in his arms.  Who is this Jesus who angrily chased the money changers from the Temple while cracking a whip? 

            When it comes to things that distract us from God and thus do damage to our soul, we need to be more like the Jesus carrying the whip than the Jesus carrying the lamb.  The story conveys the seriousness of distractions.  They need to be dealt with now.  Chase away those things that rob your life of significance.  Turn over the tables of anything that keeps you from God’s purposes.  Drive away the animals that cannot help you fulfill God’s plan.  Reject a fallen world that tells you to get in line with everyone else that’s wasting their life.  Turn instead to the Lord who created you who wants to free you to live a life full of meaning.  For if you don’t you will surely spend your whole life doing things that don’t really matter and will have no lasting value.  You will come to your end full of regrets, wondering how time slipped away so fast, and lamenting that your life didn’t really matter much.

 Challenge

            Thus far in this series, I have given you 2 challenges:  1) Start in the Gospel of Matthew and read one chapter every day and finish Matthew by Easter.  2) Last week, I challenged you to make a list of all the things you typically do and your motives. 

            Today, I give you a new challenge to help you purify your life.  This week, I want you to prayerfully consider your priorities.  What are you trying to accomplish in life?  What’s your purpose?  Write down the 5 most important purposes of your life.  (A form is included at the bottom of the blog to help you.)  And then for each one, write down things you can do that will help you fulfill those purposes.  Then pray and ask God to help you make these top priorities in your life—the things to which you devote the majority of your time, money, and resources.  Then zealously get rid of anythings that distract you so you will have enough time to do more important things.

Invitation

            The most important thing you can do to start is ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.  If you haven't done that already, why don't you do that today?  Pray to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you for your sin and for trying to do things you won way.  Ask Jesus to come be the Lord of your life--to be in charge.  And ask Him to lead you and help you follow Him from this day forward.

I Challenge You!

Step One.  List the 5 Most Important Purposes of Your Life:

 

Purpose 1 _____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose 2 _____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose 3 _____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose 4 _____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose 5_____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2.  Now, go back and under each purpose list some things you can do to help you fulfill each purpose.

 

Step 3.  Pray and ask God to help you make these top priorities in your life—the things to which you devote the majority of your time, money, and resources.

---

[i] William Barclay – The Daily Study Bible Series, the Gospel of John Colume 1 revised edition; page 109

[ii] William Barclay – The Daily Study Bible Series, the Gospel of John Colume 1 revised edition; page 109

[iii] Based on Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life

1. Purify Your Life

Copyright March 2, 2015 by Chris Mullis

2 Kings 22:1, 3-6, 8-11

Introduction

            I’m glad we are taking some time to clean up and make repairs to the church today.  Even with normal cleaning and attention, the church building still gathers dirt and dust and things wear out and need to be repaired or replaced.  It’s good from time to time to pay special attention to the needs of our facility.
            The same is true in our personal lives.  Even if we are faithful to attend church and Sunday school regularly, do a daily devotion and pray, and help those in need, we can still pick up bad habits or drift off course in our spiritual lives.  It’s good to take some time to “detox” our lives of habits and attitudes that keep us from being all God wants us to be.  The season of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) is a great time to detox.  So just as we clean up and repair our church, I challenge you to spend some time over the next few weeks cleaning up and repairing your spiritual life. 
            Today, we begin a new sermon series called “Purify” to help us purify our personal lives.  This Sunday series will run parallel to our Wednesday night video study by Craig Groeschel called “Soul Detox.”  I invite you to participate in both and feel they will help you draw closer to God as we lead up to Easter.
            I want to begin this message with a look at another “Church Detox” that took place in the Temple of Jerusalem around 624 BC.

2 Kings 22:1, 3-6, 8-11

¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years…

• Josiah would turn out to be godly ruler in Jerusalem, whose goodness shined brighter because it followed so much darkness. The kings that preceded him were very wicked and led the people astray.  Josiah was a godly king and when he was about 26-years-old, he embarked on an impressive campaign of reform to bring his people back to God.

³ In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, ⁴ “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. ⁵ Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. ⁶ They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple…

• So we see here, they are having a “Church Detox” kind of like we are today at Pleasant Grove, only the Temple was a lot bigger than our facility and it had been a very long time since they’d cleaned up and made repairs.  But Josiah was determined to renovate the Lord’s House.  As they were cleaning and making repairs, that made a priceless discovery.

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.

• This Book of the Law mentioned here was probably the first 5 books of the Bible (or a portion of those books that contained the Biblical laws. Apparently, this vital book had been lost.  We don’t know how.  Perhaps someone hid it on purpose.  Maybe it was just accidentally lost in a stack with other books.  Or maybe—as in the case of many Christian homes today—this Scripture was simply neglected until it was forgotten and lost.

⁹ Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” ¹⁰ Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.

¹¹ When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

• That Josiah tore his clothes in despair tells us two things.  First of all, Josiah had no idea that he and his people had strayed so far from God until he heard the Bible read to him.  When the Word of God was read, King Josiah could clearly see the many ways he and his people were guilty of sin.
• Secondly, that Josiah tore his clothes tells us he was truly sorry for their sins.  Psalm 51:17 tells us that God “…will not reject a broken and repentant heart.”  King Josiah could have made excuses.  He could have reasoned that the Book of the Law was outdated and no longer applicable.  He could have blew it off and told Shaphan to just put the book away and forget about it.  Instead, Josiah was deeply convicted and repented.  King Josiah set about changing the way his people lived.  He gathered all the people—young and old—and read the entire Book of the Law to them so they would no longer be ignorant of God’s requirements.  And Josiah spent the rest of his life reforming his community and ridding it of false religion.

The Bible is Our Anchor 

            I was swimming in the ocean one time just sort of relaxing.  I wasn’t watching the beach to make sure I was staying close to my family.  I was admiring the sea gulls and pelicans that were flying overhead.  I was riding over the rolling waves as they slowly came ashore—rising and falling with each swell.  After about 15 minutes I turned to look back at the shore to see what my family was doing.  The people on the shore were completely unrecognizable.  It was as if my family had packed it up and left me there alone.  But what really happened was I had unknowingly drifted down the shoreline gently pushed by the tide until I was far away from my family.  They hadn’t moved.  I had.

This is how our lives are.  God is always the same.  His principles and standards are always the same.  He never walks away from us.  And yet, left to our own devices, we drift away from God so easily.  We don’t even know we are drifting, but when we take our focus off Christ, we begin to drift.  The current of the world around us carries us on—gently moving us until we are way off course. 

The Bible is the anchor that holds us to Christ.  It shows us how we are to live.  When we drift away, the Bible teaches us how we need to change.  If you want to purify your life, if you want to get rid of the unhealthy toxins of wrong attitudes, ideas, and that seep in over time, open your Bible and read.  If you want to know what God expects of you, it’s in His Word.  Yet most of us set our Bibles aside and forget about them.  Like King Josiah and his people in the story, the Bible becomes lost to us.

According to a recent poll by LifeWay Research, only 19% of protestant church goers read their Bible every day.[i]  A Barna study shows that only 37% read the Bible at least once a week![ii]  Meanwhile a Nielson survey says that every day the average American watches 5 hours of TV, spends over 3 hours on the internet, and listens to 2 hours of radio.[iii] 

Clearly, the primary influence on our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors is not the Bible.  It is no wonder that we as a nation—and even as Christian church goers—are drifting from solid, biblical faith.  What affect would it have on you if you reversed these statistics?  What if you turned off your TV and instead spent 5 hours a day reading your Bible?  What if you shut down your computer and spent 3 hours a day reading your Bible?  What if you turned off the radio and devoted 2 hours a day reading your Bible?  Can you imagine how our thoughts and attitudes would change for the better if we devoted that much time to God’s Word instead of all these worldly things?  Maybe we would live lives far more pleasing to God.  Maybe, there would be a great revival in our nation.

I know what you’re thinking, though.  “That’s crazy!  I’m not going to read my Bible for 2, 3, or 5 hours per day!”  Ok. Fine.  But how about 30 minutes a day?  If you read 30 minutes a day, you could read your entire Bible 3 times in one year.  Still too much?  How about 10 minutes a day?  If you read 10 minutes a day, you could read your entire Bible in one year.  Still too much?  How about 3 minutes a day?  If you read 3 minutes a day (about 1 chapter) you could read the entire New Testament in one year.

Josiah started with a renovation of the physical Temple.  That was good.  But the Lord guided Josiah to a much greater purpose.  When he found the Book of the Law and read it, he was deeply convicted as he realized just how far he and his people had drifted from God.  Josiah repented and changed the way he lived.  He began renovation of his soul.  And as the leader, he determined to lead his people back to God.

I pray the same would true for us.  Today we will change lightbulbs, tidy up our sanctuary, replace ceiling tiles, spruce up the landscaping, deep clean our kitchen…  But I pray this will only be the beginning.  I pray that each of us will move on to a deeper, more significant restoration.  I pray we will rediscover the Word of God, the Holy Bible.  I pray we will devote ourselves to read it, to study it, to discuss it with our church family, to understand and apply it.  I pray that instead of dismissing it as outdated and irrelevant material, we will accept the Bible as the true foundation of everything we believe as Christians.  I pray we will listen to what the Scriptures say and conform our lives to God’s will instead of vainly trying to conform God’s plans to our will.

Conclusion and Challenge 

            There are 28 days left until Easter.  I would like to challenge you to read your Bible every day for the next 28 days.  I challenge you to start in the Gospel of Matthew and read 1 chapter every day.  You could read in the morning, on your lunch break, before you go to bed (or whenever works for you).  Just read one chapter a day; it will take less than 5 minutes and you will read the entire Gospel of Matthew by Easter Sunday.

            Now, I’m guessing there might be around 25-30 people in this congregation that are already reading your Bible every day.  I want to challenge you too.  Keep reading your Bible, but as you do, I want you to reflect deeply on your life and pray about one way you need to change.  Maybe you have a bad habit you need to break.  Maybe you have a sin of which you need to repent.  Maybe you have an attitude you need to change.  Ask God to show you what He wants you to purify in your life and then ask Him to help you change through the power of the Holy Spirit.

[i] http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2012/september/80-of-churchgoers-dont-read-bible-daily-lifeway-survey.html?paging=off

[ii] http://www.americanbible.org/features/state-of-the-bible-research-2014

[iii] http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/average-american-watches-5-hours-tv-day-article-1.1711954 and http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/new-gadgets-beckon-but-americans-still-tune-in-old-school-radio-1200913564/ and http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4718-weekly-online-social-media-time.html