Right off the bat, you probably are thinking that I’ve run a marathon, well, somehow I have. A marathon through the book of Matthew, that is. In How to study my Bible?, my conclusion was & still is Bible study is a marathon, not a sprint. Let’s backtrack on this journey together, shall we?
It all started in December 2022, when I finished the book of 1 Kings. While pondering on the next book of the Bible to study, Matthew was impressed on my heart. And so started the reading of my Bible with my normal method, one chapter a day.
However, in January 2023, I noticed it wasn’t moving as fast as it would. Why? The chapters came with a lot of insight, and I needed to sit in it.
So what did I do? I read the chapter first and then went back to study. Is there a difference? Reading allows you to make meaning of the words. And studying, examining the context and words intently.
And so, it took me a year & a month to study the book of Matthew. Yep, a year & a month. Early on, prior to starting the book of Matthew, I already had a strategy; Use a devotional in the morning and study my Bible in the night.
Although my strategy was effective, I found that because I was more tired towards the end of the day, my night study tend to extend for as long as it did.
After my first read of Matthew, I concluded I needed another read. On completing that, I decided to find a Bible plan on Matthew. Why? Every time I read it, my eyes were opened to things I’d missed the previous time. Moreover, Matthew always spoke to the situation I found myself in.
Why am I sharing? Well, I want you to learn that a lot of times studying your Bible will take longer than you anticipate. And that’s okay.
Also, it’s okay to read and reread as many times as you’d like. The goal is that you understand better the character of God and the context in which Scripture was written. Don’t fall prey like I almost did to the rhetoric of “A believer should finish their Bible at least once a year.”
If the goal is to encourage you to read your Bible, then I’m all for it. However, it becomes a challenge when it becomes a boasting power for a believer. Read your Bible at a pace that works for you. The only competition is yourself.
That said, it’s been amazing running this marathon through the book of Matthew. Are you running any marathon through Scripture?
Life update: Thank you for always reading my blog, I don’t take the gift of your attention for granted. Due to my growing responsibilities, I’ve decided to only post articles twice a month: 1st & 3rd Thursday, 3pm. I’ll try to meet up with it as much as I can. Thank you for always reading and sharing.
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Thank you for reading – Funmi
2 Responses
Love this so much!♥️
The whole craze of quantity over quality with bible study needs to be stopped!
The bible is too dynamic to be reduced to a goal of just reading it end to end each year! It’s so power packed and I’m so glad you’re taking the time to delve in and actually feast book by book, chapter by chapter and even verse my verse!
I’m blown away by the potency of this book and I’m so glad we take the time to sip it rather than gulp it all down!
I’m actually also on a through-the-whole-bible marathon this year, but that’s because last year I was exclusively given to the gospels alone.
I’m about half way through the Old Testament now and I love coming back to this testament, it’s literally same stories and same God telling of the same promise but with much action and just pure comic dialogues!
Thank God for His word! We’re so much better for it!
Thanks for sharing Funmi! Indeed it’s a marathon, and I hope we never stop running! 🙂
Thank you for your comment, Ruby. I’m glad someone else beyond me sees it the same way.
Please let me know how the through-the-whole-bible marathon goes. I want to see if I can do it because I’m a little sceptical that I can because I like to sip the word slowly.
Definitely, we’ll never stop running this marathon. Thank you once again for your comment, Rubie!