"A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

ancient proverb

 

Are you ready to begin a noble quest? I can think of nothing more noble than the reading of God's Word in order to discover that which He wants you to know. The Bible tells us where we come from , where we are going, and what is expected of us along the way. It is a book of rules and standards, it's true, but it is much more than that: It is a love letter sent from the loving Father to His beloved children. It is the Source of all that we can know or need to know about God. 

 

If you are taking up the thirty day challenge to read through the New Testament, then today you will begin one of the most important things that you will ever do. If you have read through the New Testament before, then it will serve to refresh and add to your knowledge, and more importantly, to your faith. Romans 10:17 reveals that faith comes by hearing the words of Christ, so if you have been relying on some other source for your faith in the past, it is now time that you come to the only true source of the only kind of faith that really matters.

 

If you are reading through the New Testament through for the first time, then you are on the verge of the most exciting journey you will ever take. If you are wise, this journey will not end in thirty days but will become the beginning of a new way of life. If this is your first time through, then today you become a seeker. Let your inquiry be one of true discovery, for if you read this holy document in order to prove something you already believe, then you might as well not begin at all. But, if you are truly seeking God's word so that you can find out what your loving Father wants you to know and do, then you will do well.

 

May I suggest that you begin each day of Bible study with prayer? Pray for guidance. Pray for wisdom. Pray for a noble heart and an obedient response. Then you can open the pages and begin.

 

You can read the New Testament in many ways, but may I suggest a method that is easy to remember and easy to do? Read seven chapters a day for the first week, then eight a day the second week, nine a day for the third week, ten a day for the fourth week, and eleven a day for the last two days. The chapters get progressively shorter in length, so you will be reading approximately the same number of pages each day. In this challenge, you may wish to read the word like you would a novel. You can (and once you see firsthand that the word is excellent, most likely will) come back to study it more thoroughly the second time. If you ever get behind, you can find the complete schedule at commonsensechristian.com or 30dayBiblechallenge.com . 

 

Now, for Day 1. Today you will read the genealogy of Jesus through through the line of Joseph. Even though His physical line is established through Mary, His legal line is through Joseph, and thus it is given here. Today you will read of Christ's birth and of that famous visit by the wise men. You will read of His baptism by John the Baptist, and of God's being well pleased in His Son in this act that fulfilled all righteousness.

 

Next you will read of the temptation in the wilderness, where Satan used pride and bribery to tempt our Lord, and misused Scripture in an attempt to get our Savior to fall. You will read of the calling of the first disciples, of his healing of the sick, and of the large crowds that began to seek Him.

 

You will then read what very well may be the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount! Enjoy it, for it contains instructions for the greatest way of life, some of the greatest truths ever uttered, and some of the greatest promises ever given. At the end of these seven chapters you will have accomplished something that pitifully few ever attempt: A beginning of the quest to become a student of God's Word.

 

Are you ready? The best way to begin... is to begin!

 

"Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day."

Psalm 119: 97, KJV 

 

Today is the first day if the challenge to read through the New Testament in thirty days, with Matthew 1-7 being the text for today. May God richly bless your efforts as you seek to know His holy will for your life!