I completed the task in February of this year. It is a phenomenal eye-opening experience. The concentrated effort to read 12 pages a day is challenging.
The knowledge gained by this concentrated effort has been a marvelous revelation to me. To see God’s Love through his Covenant lived out in history… to see His forgiveness as man ignores His Commandments, then returns and becomes obedient…to read the words of the Prophets… and then enjoy the fulfillment of their prophecy in the life of Christ is awesome. Knowing Christ through the Gospels and writings of Paul and other Apostles completes the journey. I look back with pride for having completed the task, but also with renewed faith in our Triune God.
For what it’s worth, my testimony is filled with stories of 45 years of participating in church and related tasks such as Lay Reader, Choir member, Youth group sponsor, Sunday school teacher, Superintendent of Sunday School etc…in summary “doing church”. I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord of my life as a result of the inspiration of the Bible Study group of men that is now in it’s 27th year of regular Friday morning meetings. I have been part of it continuously for 26 years. My life changed. Before, I had to understand things in order to believe. Now because I believe, I understand. I approached reading the Bible with the fundamental philosophy that… “God said it…I believe it… That settles it.” Reading the Bible in 90 days became an eye opening, mind filling experience because of my belief that what I was reading was what God wants me to know.
As for the logistics of study:
- Before I started each day, I would pray. I chose Proper 28 (p. 184 of the Book of Common Prayer) “Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou has given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN”
- As I began a new book in the Bible, I studied the appropriate pages in The Essential Bible Companion. This gave me insight to the time, geography and purpose of the writing. I might reread this each day as I started so that I was connected.
- When I finished each book, I would reread the companion again. (Keep in mind that you are reading 12 pages a day regardless of when a book begins and ends.)
- I would read in a quiet place.
- Usually it would take an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to complete each day’s reading. I am a slow reader, but found that the NIV is pretty easy to get through. There are some places that can slow a reader down. At that point I tried to determine will it really make a difference if I know who is related to whom or do I really need to know how to build a temple. I tried to avoid becoming bogged down in relatively insignificant details. New Testament reading is much more familiar, but also “heavier”. It takes more time to inwardly digest how Christ is calling us to live. Having an “accountability group” (the class of 4 that I met with weekly) kept things moving and did not permit the procrastinator in me to surface.
Pete concludes:
In summary, it’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. It can be overwhelming, but it can be done. I am living proof. If I can do it, anybody can do it.
