Why you should SHRED
Read the Bible in the first 30 Days of the year!
Ready to SHRED?
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If you are hunting for a New Years Resolution I would strongly recommend reading the Bible in the first 30 days of the year. I know your mind has flooded with a million reasons as to why you can’t do it, so I have taken the liberty of squashing some of those excuses for you.
Geez that seems kind of advanced doesn’t it?
I get why you would think that. This might seem like a challenge for the elite or long term Christian only. I would propose though that it is far better for the newer Christian or the person to whom the Bible still does not make much sense.
The Bible is a book. (Duh) So you should read it like a book, cover to cover, movement to movement. If you took a random fiction book and opened it 3/4 of the way through and read a paragraph on the middle of the page you might find that book confusing, dull, and irrelevant. This is likely how you find the Bible.
I totally get why we read the Bible in small sections. It’s generally how you see scripture preached, and normally when someone brings up an idea from scripture in conversation they quote a verse not three chapters. The thing is that taking on small sections of scripture is incredibly advanced. The reason you can see so many people pull so much out of a small section of scripture is because they are mature and wise enough to have the benefit of context. They understand the context of the people of scripture (being the main characters and some of the broader cultural dynamics at play) and the purpose of scripture (this is what we refer to as the meta narrative, the larger story being told through the smaller stories). These 2 things are crucial to understanding the small bits of scripture that we read.
The whole purpose of reading the Bible in 30 days is to get a grasp on the meta narrative of scripture. We are aiming to equate ourselves with the big story so that throughout the year when you go read the little stories you will remember and understand how they contribute to the big story. Plus you will catch a lot of the context of the people of scripture along the way! This is why I actually think the beginner way to read scripture is to read HUGE chunks. You will always find a takeaway and you are reading scripture in context every day. Want to understand it better? Read it in 30 Days.
How would I fit that in my schedule?
You wont. Your schedule will change for 30 days. The commitment is on average between 1 1/2-2 hours. You will have less time for social media, TV, or get a little less sleep. It’s a stretch assignment, but many of us would say that we are looking to build or develop a devotional rhythm in 2024. What better way than to build a habit of carving out way way too much time at the beginning of the year? When you spend the first 30 days giving God’s word 2 hours then 30 minutes doesn’t seem so crazy for the rest of the year.
Plus can we lay aside our consumer attitudes towards our faith for a second? This is time in the word of God we are talking about! This is one of the primary ways he has revealed himself and his will for our lives to us. It’s living and active speaking to us and fueling our faith every time we allow it space in our life. Is that not more worthy of our time than anything else we would give up for 30 days to spend being immersed in his word? Why would you not want to start your year out carving out a month to make God’s word the ultimate priority? This isn’t a diet or fitness goal this is about nourishing the most important relationship in our life.
Generations upon generations of saints prior to us have made a rhythm of carving out holy space for God in their yearly calendar built around traditions and holidays. This cultural moment of the new year and the excitement we get to do something new provides an opportunity for you and I to carve out holy space in the first month of the year. Holy simply means set apart. Why would we not want to set apart the first month of the year as holy space for God if we are wanting to live in the blessing and benefit of intimate relationship with him for the rest of the year?
How would I read that much when I just really don’t like reading?
That’s fair, reading has really dropped in emphasis for most anyone that doesn’t do it as a hobby. I am in that group that has become swept up in digital entertainment that fills time that I would otherwise read. I would encourage you to embrace the benefit of doing something hard to start the year. After all that is what we are all really looking for in our resolutions is to embrace challenge and difficulty even if just for a season. I think this is because so much of our lives have become convenient, easy, and simple. Naturally we long for more because we were never made for safe and convenient.
The number one reason why you will finish the 30 Day Shred is because it’s hard. That makes it something fun and worthwhile to do. I have found it to be the ‘right kind’ of hard because it’s a sprint. What I will often say to anyone I am selling on the shred is, “You can do anything for 30 days!” I think thats what really keeps you going is that by the end of 30 days you will have accomplished something that you have wanted to do for a really long time, and then you’re done! The reason I find most of my year long goals fizzle is that so much changes in the course of a year, especially so with my levels of motivation. You can keep pretty consistent motivation for 30 days though, and it is one of the most rewarding and spiritually fulfilling things you will do.
Why Shred?
You will understand the Bible better.
You will start your year carving out a month for a holy purpose.
You will accomplish something hard, and that is rewarding.
So in the wise words of Emperor Palpatine:
Ready to SHRED?
Jump in with 4 simple steps:
Subscribe to this Substack and get email updates for daily posts and videos to encourage your reading and daily reading recaps.
Ready to hop in? Join my YouVersion reading plan.
Drop a comment below and tell us that you’re in and with us!
Invite a friend to read with you!
I’m in and excited and a little intimidated to do it all in 30 days
I’m in… it’ll be a major struggle but I’m going to try