Christianity Archives - Page 6 of 38

Wise Counsel – Proverbs 11:14

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Lessons from Proverbs 11:14

1. The Critical Role of Counsel

Wise decision-making is difficult without counsel from wise individuals. Counsel is the ability to gather information from multiple perspectives of people who are pursuing the same desired outcome. Whether it is generals waging war or business executives on the war lines of business, multiple perspectives are critical to prevent one person from missing critical information when making a decision.

The lesson is clear, get as many perspectives as you can before making a final decision – but don’t use information gathering as an excuse to procrastinate action.

2. Avoiding Pitfalls

The negative outcomes of a lack of counsel are obvious. From lost revenues to lost wars to tragic mistakes in our personal lives, we make poor choices when we only rely on our minds to make decisions.

The Biblical text teaches that to prevent unfortunate outcome outcomes, we need counsel. We need wise input from wise men to make wise decisions.

3. Multiple Perspectives

Whenever we are taking counsel from people, we need to ensure we are taking a broad view of the information at hand. The more perspectives we can gather the better. And the wiser those perspectives are the better. Don’t limit yourself to a small amount of information. Gather as much intelligence as you can before deciding anything.

Gather this intelligence as rapidly as you can so you don’t delay taking action.

4. Community Strength

There is power found in collective wisdom. Though not everyone is wise, and not every opinion should be considered, there is still benefit to gathering the wisest men among you to take counsel of them. If the wisdom from one individual can be valuable, imagine that wisdom compounded across multiple individuals with all of their life experiences and wisdom. You combine all of those perspectives and you have wise counsel.

5. Decision-Making Due Diligence

We need a rational approach to decision-making, to make the best decisions possible. Otherwise, we run the risk of making decisions before we’re ready or making poor decisions in general. And this is what most people do, they rush into decisions without gathering full information, and because of this, they make poor decisions.

Taking counsel for multiple men speeds up the process. You now need much less time to gather information because each man contributes a thinking brain [hopefully]. This means each person can think through the situation on his own, think through unique situations, and problem-solve more rapidly. Each man can also run the problem through his personal experience and look for patterns.

Much of wisdom is pattern recognition.

6. Risk Mitigation

We cannot mitigate risk in everything. Reducing risk is not always an option. However, we can reduce risk by taking the collective perspectives of wise individuals with any counsel. This is a rational way to take a more measured approach to risk. We all take risks from the time we get out of bed to the time with lay down. None of us are immune to it. But we can mitigate the risk in the bigger decisions by taking advantage of wise counsel and multiple perspectives. Take advantage of all the collective information that you can.

7. Wisdom in Collaboration

Team efforts don’t always produce valuable outcomes. Often you get dragged down by the weakest performing members of the team. This makes it critical to curate your peer group. You must be highly selective about who is around you. Low performers will certainly drag you down to their level.

It’s very possible to collaborate yourself into oblivion by taking poor perspectives into account. You have to use discretion and ignore people who are not wise. Weed them out and eliminate their negative influence. This is why you have to rationally evaluate each of the perspectives you gather.

Just because someone is an old man doesn’t mean he has a wise opinion nor is it guaranteed that he has gathered wisdom of his own. Wisdom does not always accompany age. But if the collective wisdom of the collaborators is high, counsel and collaboration can be very valuable in any instance. But at no point do we relinquish the ability to think with our rational minds to evaluate the information that we receive with our minds. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Take advantage of counsel.

The Content Ambitious Man: Reconciling Faith and Ambition

I. Introduction

A. The Average Religious Guy Wants to Convice you That Amibtion and Faith are opposing forces.

The only problem is that this philosophy is dead wrong. The average person looking to place faith and ambition in opposition is just looking for an excuse to justify his personal failures.

“If I’m not successful and you are, the only reason is because I’m more spiritual than you are! You must be really worldly to have amassed all that worldly success”.

Just like these men do when they purport the Poverty Gospel, they must demonize ambition and worldly success as well.

Their only choice to make themselves feel better is to make the issue of success a moral one. The fastest way for religious people to claim the high ground is to take an amoral position and convert it into a moral one.

By doing so they make their necessity a virtue.

B. People are more successful now than ever.

Even people who are “failures” are more successful than people have ever been in history, financially speaking. They may not have the drive or personal success, but they have money that civilizations past could only dream of.

This is just like the poverty gospel where even the “poor” have more material wealth than the wealthy would have had just a few hundred years ago, let alone when the Bible was being written.

There is no room for anyone to babble on when it comes to success, failure, and ambition. Even people with no ambition have luxuries that the hardest-working businessmen couldn’t have dreamed of in centuries past.

C. Thesis statement: Contrary to the false philosophy of the poverty gospel, contentment, and ambition are not mutually exclusive but rather complement each other.

Colossians 3:23 is the key biblical text supporting this idea.

II. Understanding the False Philosophy of the Poverty Gospel

A. You already know what the poverty gospel is. It’s the envious idea that people who have wealth are automatically evil. It has no rationality behind it, or any validity in reality, but nevertheless, it is popular in religious circles. Including the religions of environmentalism and socialism.

Religious people desperately need wealth and faith to be opposing forces so that they can justify their lack of wealth to themselves.

But it’s all relative – again reflect on centuries past and you will see the poor today have unimaginable luxuries compared to the people of the past.

B. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Joseph – Content Ambitious Men

The Bible describes Abraham as a man rich in livestock silver and gold [Gen 13:2].

Now is Abraham evil because of his wealth?
Is he a bad guy because he amassed possessions in this material world?

No, we know that is not the case. We know it is possible to be Spiritual and wealthy at the same time. The two are not opposed. And Abraham’s is a great example of that.

What about Isaac [Gen 26:12-13]? He followed in his father’s footsteps and became so wealthy that he was the envy of the Land. Was this man materialistic and evil because he amassed so much wealth and possessions that he made other people feel bad? He hurt their feelings with how successful he is, but he would still be righteous.

Jacob followed the example of his father and his father before him [Gen 30:43]. Amassing possessions to the point of “excessive wealth”.

Did that possession make him evil? No.
Was he able to be righteous despite wealth? Absolutely.

Perhaps the most striking example is Job. This is a man whose story opens with an outline of his possessions, and of his character. Here is a man whose character is made more important because of his wealth. He is more impressive because despite having more money than everyone around him, he is still a righteous and just man.

Though He would lose all these possessions, he would maintain God as his priority. He never lost focus on God because he was a righteous man. And he was rewarded with double the possessions that he had before.

The faith of each of these men is not negative because of their wealth, but rather it is made more impressive.

Almost anyone can be righteous while they are poor. Give them a little money or a little power and they will show you who they truly are.

III. The Essence of Colossians 3:23: “Doing All as Unto the Lord”

A. Colossians 2:23 tells us clearly and succinctly that the attitude we should have while working is that we are actually working for the Lord.

This mentality helps us to maintain integrity in work. We might steal from our fellow man, but would we steal from Christ?

Additionally, it gives us permission to work with intensity and work to be successful.

If you were to work as if you were working for God and not your “stupid boss”, wouldn’t you be more successful? I would argue that you would be very successful at least within your own character.

B. By working for the Lord, you may start to find contentment in life.

Your job may be boring, and your co-workers may be annoying, but what your hands have found to do can be something that you honor God by doing.

C. Colossians 3:23 dispels the popular myth that if I’m working hard in the material world, I must be worldly.

No, we have a biblical admonition to work hard in the secular workplace. Therefore faith and ambition cannot be opposed.

IV. The Complementary Nature of Contentment and Ambition

A. Many have difficulty because their ambition overrides their ability to have peace.

They are so hungry to be successful that they cannot be peaceful anymore. I have been in that boat many times, so I understand the argument.

But since there is a biblical admonition to work and provide valuable service, and there is also a biblical admonition to be content, we know that both must be true.

God would not ask people to do things that are impossible or mutually exclusive. Therefore in some way, it must be possible to be content and ambitious.

When used correctly, ambition and contentment can have a symbiotic relationship, but it all depends on your mentality.

Attitude is always the key.

The key is that both your contentment and your ambition must exist in the present moment.

When you look into the future constantly or look constantly outside yourself at what you don’t have, you will find it hard to be content.

Also if you are constantly focused on the outcome of your ambition, it will be difficult to be content.

Rather you need to be ambitious for the present moment. Release your need to control the outcome, or the results, of your ambition.

When ambition exists right now, it is powerful. When I become ambitious for the present moment I can concentrate on the work right in front of me. And I can focus on doing the best I can right now. That is present-focused ambition.

And this present focus creates peace. Living in the past or present creates anxiety. But anxiety has a hard time living in the present.

When my goal is to work for the Lord and not for men, but I am content no matter the final results of my work – I am a content ambitious man.

I love goals and I am chasing outcomes in my life. So in no way am I suggesting you not have goals, plans, or things you are pursuing. But what you must do is what the ship captain does. He pulls out his map, marks the port he is sailing to, puts the map away, and sets sail, focusing on the process of sailing rather than an obsession with the port he is sailing to.

So be sure to have goals, but once you set your goals, put them away. Glance at them from time to time to check progress and course correct if you are going the wrong way. But do not obsess over how long it is taking to get there or how difficult it is. You must exist in the present.

The way to be the content ambitious man is to ground your ambition and contentment in the present moment.

Be ambitious for “the now”.

Concentrate that focus on the present and let go of your need to control the outcome. Trying to control the results is a surefire way to create anxiety in your life.

Where contentment provides peace amidst challenges, and ambition drives growth and progress.

V. Contentment: A Foundation for Healthy Ambition

Contentment is “present-oriented”. You are content when you look at what you have right now and are at peace with it. You are not looking outside yourself and generating envy for what you don’t have. You simply have peace with what you do have.

Contentment, therefore, is the foundation for ambition. As you ground yourself in the present to be content, you then. Have a good starting point to “leash” your ambition. Not that you are limiting yourself, setting small goals, or avoiding challenges and work – but you “leash” your ambition to the present. That will give you greater peace.

If you are struggling with contentment it could be because you are missing out on gratitude. A simple but effective technique to work on this is to make a gratitude list. You’ve likely heard about that a million times, and it almost seems silly to talk about, but for greater contentment, count your blessings – have gratitude. We sing the hymn “Count your many blessings“, but how few of us do this?

The gratitude list brings your blessings into your awareness. We forget about everything we have because it falls out of our awareness and we become accustomed to it. But activate your attention spotlight and point it at your blessings and you will realize how well off you are.

B. Without grounding in the present moment, ambition will be hollow.

Has nothing to control it, and it will run wild. You will become obsessed with outcomes and rob yourself of the pleasure of the process.

Many make the mistake of thinking that if they are content and thankful for what they have, they will become less hard-working and less ambitious. That will only happen if your ambition is future-oriented. Turn the fiery focus of your ambition to the present. Align it with the now, and you will have the same burning drive you have always had, and it will be directed into a moment that brings you greater peace – the present moment.

Ambition that is future-oriented, and that is detached from the present moment will create unnecessary pain through greed. There is nothing wrong with working to gain material things. But without gratitude or a present focus, it becomes a hollow obsession that drains the joy from the process

VI. Ambition: An Expression of Faith

Ambition, when aligned with God’s statutes for wealth management, becomes an expression of faith and obedience through proper stewardship of talents and resources. Faith is action-based. Taking action in the direction of our goals does not mean we lack faith in God to provide for us. That is the type of mentality that results from perverting the teachings of the Bible.

God has always expected His people to take action. Each man is personally responsible for his own life and must act according to [Ezk. 18:20] This applies in every avenue of man’s walk: from religion to profession, to health, to finance.

A Man’s task is to row his own boat without expecting God to do all the heavy lifting.

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

The content-ambitious man exists. It is possible to be both content and ambitious at the same time.

Misconception of Faith and Ambition: Some suggest faith and ambition oppose each other, attributing success to spirituality over worldly achievement. This is a fallacy used to justify personal failures.
Success: Relative and Multifaceted: Even “failures” today possess more material wealth than historical civilizations. The poverty gospel notion and demonizing ambition are attempts to morally justify the lack of success.
Biblical Examples: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Joseph amassed wealth without compromising their righteousness. Their faith and abundance coexisted, showcasing that spirituality and material success aren’t mutually exclusive.
Colossians 3:23: Encourages working for the Lord, promoting integrity, intensity, and permission for ambition in the secular world. This dispels the myth that striving for success in the material realm equates to worldliness.
Contentment and Ambition Synergy: Balancing ambition and contentment is possible. Grounding ambition in the present moment fosters peace. Being present-focused on ambition while releasing the need to control outcomes cultivates content ambition.
Contentment as Foundation: Contentment, rooted in gratitude and present awareness, acts as the base for healthy ambition. A gratitude list can enhance contentment by highlighting one’s blessings.
Ambition Aligned with Faith: Ambition, when guided by biblical principles of stewardship and faith, aligns with proper wealth management. It expresses obedience through action while acknowledging personal responsibility.
Taking Personal Responsibility: Faith doesn’t absolve individuals from taking action in their lives. Man is accountable and must actively engage in all aspects of life, including religion, profession, health, and finance.

A Peculiar People – What does the Bible mean?

What does the Bible mean when it describes Christians as a “peculiar people”?

It doesn’t mean we eat weird food, wear strange clothes, and participate in outlandish rituals.

People mistake the appearance of peculiarity for the thing that caused the peculiarity.

Religious people frequently get into the habit of mistaking how something looks for how something actually is.

They mistake the appearance of Kingly stature for someone’s fitness to be King like Samuel did [1 Samuel 16:6].

Or they mistake the size of enemy forces like Elijah’s servant did [2 Kings 6:14-18].

In the modern day, we mistake the appearance of religiousness or purity for the actual thing.

We should try to get in the habit of not believing everything we see – because our personal perception can cloud reality. Just because people look religious does not mean they truly are.

This happens frequently with a discussion of peculiar people. What does this mean?

The mistake most religious people make is mistaking the peculiarity itself for religion.

They think the weirdness itself is the goal. That if they stand out from the rest of the crowd, they are “doing religion right”.

This is the farthest thing from reality. And it is why so many of us are confused by what we see.

Many people make these mistakes in judgment.

Some mistake a college degree for education or value – but the value is in the skill and knowledge that degree allegedly represents.
Some mistake knowing for understanding.

Peculiarity should be a byproduct of the Christian lifestyle, not a direct goal.

The goal is not to go out in the world purposefully acting weird. The purpose is to simply obey God and we will automatically look strange for that. Remember that the text says they will think that it is strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation [1 Peter 4:4].

We are not running out, making it our goal to be weird people. We are simply doing what is right, and by virtue, of obeying the commandments of God, we look strange compared to the rest of the world.

When the Bible describes Christians as a peculiar people it means that by the way we act, we will stand out from the world.

People mistake this all the time and think that we just need to purposefully act weird or purposefully act religious. They think we need to use weird language and try to stand out.

Standing out from the crowd is not the primary goal – there are many non-biblical ways to stand out from the crowd. It is simply a byproduct of living a Christian lifestyle when we live the way the Bible outlines.

The main point is easy to understand. If you obey the Bible you will be weird enough, There’s no need to make yourself weirder by fabricating religious rituals, behaviors, or language to use out in the world.

If you practice sexual discipline, avoid using profanity, don’t drink, don’t use illicit drugs repay evil with good, and act with kindness towards people around you, then you will be one of the strangest people in this world. No one behaves that way. It is odd.

The people those the world look to maximize their personal pleasure, drink, enjoy drugs, use profanity, repay evil with evil, and cheat and steal at everything they do. That is not the Christian path. Though the Christian stumbles and falls, he still works to live within the confines of the word of God. That is what makes him a peculiar person.

20 Bible Verses About Lust

The Bible has a great deal to say about the idea of lust. It appears multiple times in scripture, and we are wanted countless times to avoid it. Lust goes beyond the sexual, though that is the realm where it likely has the most power.

If you are at war with lust – which as men with free circulating testosterone is almost certainly the case – then these passages of scripture may help you in your war. Remember that when Christ faces temptation from the devil in Matthew 4, He responds to temptation with the words of scripture – because those words are weapons.

1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

The three types of lust are identified here. We lust with our eyes after things we want, after things that are beautiful. This lust goes hand in hand with the lust of the flesh, where our body literally craves something powerfully. Maybe this is a natural desire like sex, but because it is challenged in the wrong direction towards women who are not our wives, it becomes a sin and a snare. Then the pride of life is a lust for things of this world that make us feel powerful, and reduce our trust in God. We can earn things of this world, but when they become idols and the tools by which we elevate ourselves in the minds of other men, this becomes a massive problem.

Matthew 5:28: “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Christ addresses adultery at its root. Christ understands our psychology, that whatever we think about we eventually do. Thoughts become things. God in the flesh knew this better than anyone. So He gives us this instruction to correct the thought, so we never have to suffer the consequence of the “thing”.

Christ is not making the command more difficult, He is making our lives easier by instructing us to pull up the sin at the root so we don’t have to worry about what happens when it becomes a full-grown tree.

Galatians 5:16: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Spiritual matters are our primary concern while we live this life. We do not always act this way, We forget the importance of God and our role as Christians and as men. But the antidote for this is to saturate the mind in spiritual matters. That is what is meant by the word “Spirit” here. We are to be involved with and fully saturated in spiritual matters of life so that we do not idolize and worship the physical.

James 1:14: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

James outlines a critical component of temptation. We learn here that much of our temptation comes from our own mind. The devil doesn’t even have to spend time tempting us, we are drawn away by our own thoughts. This is another reason to control our thoughts at the root before we allow ourselves to be the passive income of the devil.

Colossians 3:5: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

The root of several of these sins is sexual in nature. The first three and arguably four items on this list revolve around the lusts of the flesh that we are commanded to control. Not only are we to control them, but we are to put them to death. We are to enact spiritual violence on our sin – kill it. Kill the old way of living. Literally “make dead” is what the original language says in this scripture. It’s an admonition for spiritual violence because that is what is required to purge sin.

2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Why are lusts identified as youthful? Ask any older man and you’ll quickly find out that the struggle with lust does not end with age. It still requires that you go to war.

But it seems that there are certain things that are more tempting to different age groups. Just because youthful lusts are identified here does not mean there is no such thing as lust for older people [remember not all lust is sexual]. And recall that in this instance Paul is writing to Timothy who is a young man at the time – and as such he is still warring with the sins that young men war with.

1 Corinthians 10:6: “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”

Paul is writing about the Old Testament scripture. We learn from the examples of the OT not to chase the same things or categories of things that the Israelites chased after. We saw how it turned out for them, and we have a responsibility to avoid that sin for ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 4:5: “Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”

There is a separation between people who know God and people who do not know God. One of the key differences involves lustful action. There should be a difference between Christians and the godless people of the world. But how often do we act as if there were no difference at all?

1 Peter 2:11: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

This is one of my favorite passages because it outlines the critical role of spiritual warfare and the psychomachy of the human experience. You won’t always want to serve God with your whole being. Your mind and spirit want to serve God but your flesh has become your enemy.

It is acceptable to have this civil war inside yourself. You will engage in it till the day you die, with victory some days and defeat other ways. But you must always get back up and reengage the enemy.

2 Peter 2:14: “Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.”

An incredible passage from Peter indicates that some people have trained their eyes on ungodly practices. Here he talks about adultery. Because of the focus of their eyes, they cannot cease from sin. Where the eyes go the body follows. They are trained in sinful behavior. This is not the way we are to be.

Proverbs 6:25: “Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids.”

A very practical proverb written about an adulterous woman: adultery sounds like a great idea when our mind and thoughts are concentrated on the sex act itself. But what happens after the orgasm? We don’t think about that moment.

When the dust settles and the rational mind returns to the man who just had an affair – what is left of that soul? What guilt and sadness rest in the soul of that man? Perhaps none, if he has so seared his conscience. But perhaps there is much guilt and shame because this man did not think far in advance. He did not foresee evil and correct his actions. Led by his libido, he made a decision he would live with forever.

Don’t even fall into the trap of these women. And there are plenty of them in the world.

Romans 6:12: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

We commit sins as human beings. But we must immediately purge that sin from our lives as it enters. Lust wants you to do what it says, but you have to resist it. Go to war with it. Purge it.

Titus 2:12: “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”

The wrong way to live is to allow worldly lusts into our minds and lives. But instead, we are to deny them. There is a denial, which means that lust and sin are making a request of us and we have to turn it down. This is demanding. The Christian lifestyle is demanding. But it can be done. Deny ungodliness.

2 Samuel 11:2: “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

This is the key moment at which David fell. What he saw with his eyes led to a new picture that he saw with his mind. And marinading on that mental picture he would alter inquire about Bathsheba and take her as his own.

It started with a look.

1 Timothy 6:9: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

This is an example of a non-sexual lust. At least not directly sexual. Who doesn’t want more money and possessions in their lives? It becomes difficult to have those things while serving God first and foremost. It can be done, as evidenced by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job – but the spiritual life must be correct first and foremost.

Genesis 3:6: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

All three lusts are mentioned in this verse. It looked good – the lust of the eyes. It would please the flesh – the lust of the flesh. And it would make one wise – the pride of life. These things together made this the trifecta of temptation. Most sin falls into one or all of these three categories. And we have to resist all three.

Psalm 81:12: “So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

Ephesians 4:19: “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

At a certain point of living in the flesh and in lust, we can become past feelings. That is a state of affairs. To be so far beyond feeling that we give ourselves completely over to the lusts of the world. It happens frequently – so we have to be ready for it and fight against it to prevent it from ever getting to that point.

Job 31:1: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?”

This is one of the key texts of the Old Testament. And what a statement reflecting the character of Job. Who would do this today? A promise with the eyes, a covenant with them. This is what we must all do as men.

2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Filthiness of the flesh frequently refers to sexual sin in the Bible. It’s one of the things we are repeatedly told to cleanse ourselves of. This is a difficult cleansing and it has been so for all time. But it is possible.

Plant these verses deeply in your mind and use them for war against lust.

Want to Read The Bible in a Year? – Don’t

It is very popular for people to try to read the Bible in a year. This ends up being a New Year’s resolution for many people. Maybe you yourself have once tried to complete this task. Sadly it follows the path of most other resolutions – excitement, apathy, to failure. There are several reasons that explain this.

The first and main reason in my estimation is that reading the amount of text every day that would allow a person to read the Bible in a year is too difficult for the average person based on their current level of discipline.

When you run the math, reading the Bible in a year requires reading about 4 chapters of text per day. 3 Of those daily chapters come from the Old Testament which are notoriously long and difficult passages. In all, people go from reading no Bible text each day to trying to read 4 chapters which takes the average reader 15-20 minutes at a minimum. Even though it doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, that is actually a huge time commitment for someone getting started.

It is the same as people who try to start working out by jumping right into 45-60-minute workouts. The problem is that the foundational habit and low-level discipline are not developed. That low-level discipline is developed through humility, being willing to do a small amount of work, and accepting your current discipline is not adequate for the larger goal you have set for yourself.

Another problem is that people do not have the consistency to read the Bible daily.

Not only do they have to spend more time reading each day than they have probably spent in the last year, but they have to do it every day without fail. While it’s true that you can always “make up” time by reading more if you happen to miss a day, this is even more difficult than the base level of reading that was required. What person is going to be able to maintain a 4 chapter a day pace, and then read 8 chapters a day if he misses one day? You can see how someone can easily get behind in their reading, become very discouraged, and quit.

I argue the solution is to start much smaller with the reading habit. Start with attempting to read just one chapter per day at most. For most people, this is much more manageable. And for others, this may still be too much work. There are people in rehabilitation hospitals who are so weak that they cannot even hold themselves up while sitting on the side of the hospital bed.

The moment they go from lying down to sitting up, their heart rate spikes, their blood pressure drops, they become dizzy and lightheaded, and their O2 saturation drops. All these physiologic changes reflect a weakened physiological system resulting from trauma, pathology, or disuse. But a few attempts at sitting at the edge of the bed and they will become stronger. They can start to sit for longer and hold themselves up with less assistance. But they never would have made that initial progress without first sitting on the edge of the bed.

Many people trying to pick up a Bible-reading habit are in the same position. They are training their spiritual body again for the first time in months, years, or perhaps ever. As a result, many are not going to have the strength to be able to maintain the pace required to read the Bible in a Year.

Lastly, when people obsess over reading the Bible in a year, retention is sacrificed in favor of attempting to cover ground.

The goal becomes: “Just Read”. But the goal was never to just read, but rather to understand and integrate the teaching of the Bible into practical life.

The result of reading is learning. And we learn so we can modify the way we are acting. In many instances, this requires us to go beyond mere reading and engage in what the Bible calls “Meditating”. Now this is not Eastern meditation where one tries to reduce or observe their own thoughts. The instances where meditation is used in the Bible often refer to what we would commonly call “concentration”. It involves the orientation of the thinking apparatus to the material at hand for the purpose of absorbing it. And through absorbing those principles, we can actually make lasting changes in our lives.

First, just build the habit of showing up.

Before you try to set the goal of running a marathon, you first have to start running each day. You will not get anywhere if you cannot develop the basic follow-through to complete the fundamental tasks. That is what we have to do with the Bible reading habit. You are not going to be able to read the Bible in a year if you cannot first read the Bible each day. You have to get into the habit of showing up, even if only for 3 minutes, for 1 chapter, or even a half-chapter of reading. It is more than acceptable to stay at this point for several weeks or even several months.

Set your Bible out where you can see it, and have it open and ready for your reading each day. This eliminates those points of friction – having to take the Bible out, having to open it, having to decide what to read. These are each task you have to do, small points of friction, and they will stop you from completing your habit. Do not underestimate your ability to be lazy and to give up action because there are too many points of friction. Eliminate as many of those as you can.

Identify what has stopped the basic habit of reading in the past and remove those.

Then set the tiny goal of reading at least 5 verses per day. It seems inconsequentially small, but it will be something most people don’t have – progress. Progress and the ability to show up daily. That puts you in the top 20% of Christians, did you know that? If 80% of Christians are not reading their Bible daily, and you start reading just 5 verses per day, you are in the 20%. That is incredible. Welcome yourself to the upper echelons of Bible reading success. All that from just 5 verses per day.

Now of course you won’t continue reading just 5 verses per day forever. That is just there to start you on the habit. Once established, you can then modify the habit. James Clear writes that “A Habit must be standardized before it can be optimized”. The same applies to your daily Bible reading. You must establish the habit through repetitions before you can add to it and optimize it. That is the essence of discipline. Start small and build from there. Then before you know it, you will have the habit built and the discipline developed to attempt to read the Bible in a year. Good luck.

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