DON'T Read Through The Bible This Year...Do THIS Instead 

What do you think? Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments (kindly, please), and then head over to watch this next video about creating good Bible reading/memory habits: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NCp94QcLSb4.html

Yes, my goal is a greater intimacy with God as I delight myself in the Lord and His Word.

This is so timely. I have found myself reading and studying one chapter of one book for several weeks and I haven’t felt led to move on. I decided to start memorizing it. I’m also slowly working on memorizing another book. I had thought that I wasn’t really doing it “right” because I was doing it so slowly, but I realized I am assimilating it more by slowing down than I was when taking more at a time. Thanks for the confirmation!

Wow thank you so much. It's the beginning of the year and I have been searching for a reading plan for the year. So much pressure/burden has been lifted off me. Makes so much sense. It's not about ticking the box and absorbing nothing but meditating on the word of God

Wow amazing !! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 a slow study ..brilliant ! Joshua 1:8 talks about meditating on God’s word day and night …

I will read the Bible for the rest of my life,not just through a year plan. It will take a lifetime of being renewed in Christ through reading the word of God.

I got started really studying the Bible because of the word “calamity “ I was so surprised to see this word in the Bible that it caused me to want to go page by page in my Bible to find this word in other chapters of the Bible so in all I was in parts of all 66 books of the Bible ! I then read 1john 27 times and found it so exciting to me that my husband enjoyed me reading it to him aloud each day . Since then I have traveled a rabbit trail and finally I am reading my Bible all the way through for the 1st time since I became a Christian at age 17, I’m now 61yrs old. I’m enjoying it , following a easy plan. I also do what I borrowed from a RU-vidr “ HeArt Bible journaling “ to glorify God and creat ways to remember his word and understand the importance of what He says. It’s almost like God recreates the Bible for me daily along with it being about him!

This is such a creative and inspiring video, Josh. Thanks for encouraging me to own God's word and making me laugh out loud with your Joey references. 😂

This is true , so true . Ive tried ! But i do read and study the Word

I've never felt led to read the Bible through from cover to cover. It all seemed to programed for me. However, i am sure any reading of God's word is beneficial. So, I enjoy reading as I am moved by life events, inspired to find answers, study for a lesson or topic, I love to study and research so i will dig in to a topic or a teaching that often leads me to other scriptures, many scriptures that help me make connections. I also teach children the scriptures so we are often role playing which helps them internalize it. Anyway that's my 2 cents. LOVE GOD LOVE HIS WORD

Josh, I mostly agree, but just wanted to share these thoughts for those who are reading through the bible in a year. A minister at our church has used reading through the one year bible as a discipleship tool for our church, especially the men. Since he is committed to doing it yearly, he doesn't worry about what he misses, if he does (which I think is rare), because he knows that he will catch it next year. I did the program for a couple of years and I spent that time to mark many verses from chapters that I wanted to mediate on, either key scripture for getting the message of the chapter or passage or a verse or passage that ministered to me. Since we live, are to live, by every words that proceeds from the mouth of God, for me, I think it would be good to at least listen to the books that I'm not as familiar with at least once a year. Many cheers in Christ!

Have you read: " How to eat your Bible by Nate Pickoswicz? Matches perfectly with what you explain here. Very good book.

4:42 - 5:16 Yes, yes, yes! I understand what you are saying here!

Own scripture. Josh, you are great 👍.

I don't understand when you were talking about when people decide to memorise the bible that the devil will attack them like a freight train why you didn't then exhort on the power of the word of God we are memorizing to deal with him.

1. Read it all the way thru first in an easy translation or paraphrase. 2. Make sure you understand all the words. 3. Get it in audio for the car. 4.. Memorize the kings of Judaah and Israel two lists first. That gives you a historical hook. 5. Read a history of the near east.Asimov did a good one that's out of print. 6. Figure out the Jewish holidays and temple system 8, then do memorization of a book you understand.

Last year I heard of a woman (I think via the Alisa Childers podcast) who, along with her husband, had memorized the entire NT. I couldn’t believe it, but was immediately captivated by the idea. Your channel has been very encouraging and helpful to me as I begin my first project down this path: Philippians. Question: I know you memorize the citations too. Do you do this after the fact, or during?

This one of the best and more convincing vids I have seen. Next vid the how 🤔. I tried meditating but mind wonders

another great video Josh. Have you post it yet?

I am more doing it as a psychology experiment on myself than a pious endeavour to be honest.

Wow, Please read this entire comment before you delete it or comment on it. I'm typing this slowly because I want to make sure that my comment is given in love. I'm being sincere. I can't believe an advocate of memorizing the Bible is telling people to not read through the Bible because they might feel guilty or don't have the time? Remember, we who are the Church are to fulfill Matthew 28:18-20. This would be really hard if all you do is focused on one single book or passage of the Bible, Unless of course the book was one of the Gospels like Matthew or John. How many people memorize Matthew or John? How many Christians can even quote John 3:16 or know where to find the Lord's prayer or the Beatitudes? I'm so very disappointed after watching the entire video. I recommended your channel to the guys in my Bible study so that they would have a good Biblical resource for learning how to memorize scripture. Your video completely goes against what I have been teaching them for years about the importance of reading the Entire Bible. Fifteen minutes a day is all it takes to read through the entire Bible in a year. If someone isn't giving our Lord and Savior 15 minutes every day, they have much deeper heart problems than just struggling with the guilt from missing their reading time. Truly. Please check out John 8:31-32. Along with hiding God's Word in our hearts (memorizing) there must be a Knowlege of what the scripture is truly saying. Telling someone to meditate on a passage, or book, without an understanding of the underlying doctrines found in the passage, book, and throughout the entire Bible is like telling someone to learn to drive a car by pushing on and letting off the accelerator. "Just practice (meditate) by accelerating and decelerating." They have no concepts about braking or the steering wheel, turn signals, climate controls, seatbelts or even windshield wipers. Here comes the meat of the message. People, and even pastors will so commonly quote Romans 8:28 or Philippians 4:13, and other verses, completely out of context because they have memorized or 'meditated' on these passages without understanding their truths. There's a reason that Christ quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 when He is speaking to Satan in Matthew 4:4. There's a reason for Paul to teach Timothy about the importance of the entire counsel of God in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Entire Bible is a single unit that just happens to be composed of 66 books and 1189 chapters. I know it's possible for someone to have a right exegesis of Galatians 3:28 after reading, meditating, and memorizing the 3rd chapter or the entire book of Galatians. It's possible, but doubtful.... But how much better and deeper will they understand the Truth of what Paul is teaching them (through the Holy Spirit) if they have also read Romans chapters 4 and 8 and Leviticus? It All goes together. It is meant to go together. This is God's Plan as evidenced by God incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ quoting Himself from Deuteronomy. Think about that for a minute, or maybe an hour....God in Christ in Matthew is quoting Himself from Deuteronomy to Satan as the Messiah. That is truly remarkable. God is saying that All of His Words are important and that they must be understood within their context. The spiritual disciplines are disciplines for the disciples of Christ to help them grow in faith, or into faith. We must practice All of the spiritual disciplines without neglecting any of them. Reading through the entire Bible is a discipline everyone should practice annually for life. It's not a matter of should I read through the Bible? We must if we want our faith to grow and if we want to be transformed into the image of Christ. We should also memorize, meditate, pray, assemble for corporate worship and praise of our Lord and Savior, fast, give our time in servanthood both to the church and our community and neighbors, give of our resources without neglecting our time given for teaching others, and for evangelizing. How many people have ever told a single person about The Gospel of Christ and His love for them? Memorizing is a tool so we can be ready to give an answer, even when we don't have our Bibles with us. Not practicing All of the spiritual disciplines is like baking a cake with only eggs and flour, to coin another analogy. Our learning scripture is to ultimatley prepare us to lead others to Christ. We are seed planters. Now comes the difficult part. I hope and pray that what you said was said in naivety. As teachers, we will be held accountable before God for everything we say, regardless of the sincerity of our hearts or our own foolishness, ignorance, and pride. Please reconsider what you said in light of this comment. You have placed yourself in the seat of Moses. You are truly in a very daunting chair and will give an account for everything you have said, as well I. Best wishes and love in Christ, Gene in South Korea.

Josh has gone off the deep end 😱 haha… jk. Enjoy time in Scripture this year !

Your lack of discernment showing clips from ‘Friends’ stains your credibility.