Spiritual Development January 2017
Happy New Year! 2017 is here and so is a new opportunity to recommit yourself to the Word of God. My prayer is that you would value and cherish the truth of the Bible even more this year. However, like every resolution that we make around the new year we have a tendency of losing interest or focus at some point not so long after we make the resolution. Well, I want to suggest two options that will hopefully make your resolution transition to a natural part of your lifestyle.
- Foundations by Robbie and Kandi Gallaty
Foundations is a book based off of a Bible reading plan that Pastor Robbie Gallaty put together to help his church read through the Bible through the course of a year. It is a 260-day plan that is intended to be read 5 days out of each week. Each day has a text to read, some helpful commentary on the passage, as well as a weekly memory verse that you can meditate on throughout the week. Pastor Gallaty also teaches how to do something called a H.E.A.R. journal entry in response to what you read. This acronym stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. This moves you away from the mindset of simply checking off a box to complete the yearly plan and into a meaningful habit of observing, interpreting, and applying the truth of Scripture to your life. You can also check out the
Replicate Ministries App for iOS and Android.
- Read Scripture App
Another great tool that was just recently released is the Read Scripture app. This is a resource put out by Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, for the purpose of helping people connect with the overall message of the Bible that points to Jesus. This app breaks down the Bible into 16 chapters of the big story of the Bible. This app also partners with The Bible Project and provides very helpful, short videos that explain the structure and themes of every book before you begin reading it. For books like Leviticus, Numbers, and the Minor Prophets that may not be familiar to you at all, this is a great resource to show you the value of the entirety of Scripture. Everything is contained in this app – the daily plan, the text of Scripture to read, and the videos. You can also set up reminders on your phone too in case you need extra help. This app is now available for both iOS and Android.
My prayer is that whatever means you use this year, that you cultivate a deeper love for the Word of God and allow it to mold you more into the image of Jesus Christ. I’m excited to see what God has in store for our church in 2017!