Read His Book in 2025
Happy New Year! Are you going to start a new Bible reading plan on this first day of 2025?
To be completely candid, I’m not the biggest believer in New Year’s resolutions or making life-changing commitments just because the calendar has a new number on it. Personal and spiritual growth doesn’t rest its hope on grand declarations of change.
Heart and life transformation is almost always a process and rarely an event. That process takes place in the 10,000 little moments of everyday life, and that day could be any day of the year, because:
This I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:21-23)
That said, most Bible reading plans that you will come across begin on January 1—and I could not be a stronger advocate for you spending more time in the Word of God in 2025!
So, whatever plan you might choose—or if you are continuing an existing plan— I want to encourage you to dive into Scripture today, and again tomorrow, and then day after day. As you do, you will discover the eternal, transformative value of the Bible!
Day after day
week after week
month after month
year after year
decade after decade
I have lived in your Word.
I will never be
could never be the
same.
I held your majestic
Book
in my hands as a little
boy.
I knew what I held was
special
but had no idea of its
gloriously transforming
power.
Day after day
I have traversed that
Genesis to Revelation gospel
road.
I have seen the blood and
dirt
of this fallen world
on page after page.
I have been confronted with
the scary depth of my
need.
Your Word has exposed my
weakness
failure
foolishness
sin.
Your Word does not leave me
discouraged
depressed
disheartened
defeated
because from
beginning to end
your Word
gives me what I need:
Jesus.
Scripture is his
Book.
Jesus is the Bible’s
beauty
help
hope
grace
hero.
He is the
Promised Messiah
Great High Priest
King of Kings
Lion of Judah
Final Prophet
Sacrificial Lamb
Great Physician
Son of God
Son of Man
Lord of Lords
Ruler forever.
I will never grow tired of
my daily walk through your
Word.
I will never grow weary
digging again and again
into this bottomless well of
your grace.
I will never think that I have
learned
all your Book can teach.
I will never grow bored with this
narrative
of the glory of your glory.
Your Word is my fountain of
instruction
wisdom
conviction
motivation
transformation
life.
Your Word exposes
me,
and in exposing me,
rescues me from
me.
I study your Word, not for
information
but to be drawn ever closer to
you
to live in more conformity to
your will
to surrender more fully to
your glory
to worship you more
faithfully
to deepen my desire to be
holy
to live more consistently as
your ambassador
to confess more often
my wanderings.
Your Word,
recorded and preserved,
now held in my hands,
is a living and constant reminder of
your sovereignty
love,
faithfulness,
grace.
So with deep gratitude
I will meet you again in the
pages of your life-giving
Book,
praying again, not to
master your Book,
but in my study,
to be progressively mastered
by you.
A Prayer for Today: God, help me to see and treasure the inexhaustible value of your Word. I pray for a sincere desire to dive into Scripture in a way that I’ve never had before. Would this New Year be the start of my vigorous intake of the Bible, and would you meet me there in ways that change my heart? Lord, I know that true spiritual transformation only happens by your grace, so I pray for this grace in my life. May I, as a result of my consistent time in your Word, know you and experience you more than ever before. Thank you for the gift of your Book. I am eternally grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God bless,
Paul Tripp
Discussion Prompt for Children:
• How can we talk to God? How do you think God chooses to talk to us?
• Why is the Bible more than just a book? How do you think a book can change a person? What does it mean for someone’s heart to change?
• Why is communication with God so important? How often do you think Christians should communicate with him? How can you and I get better at two-way communication with God?
Reflection Questions
1. What kind of plan do you have to be in God’s Word every day? If you don’t have a plan, take some time right now to be intentional and develop a plan that can continuously lead you through Scripture so that you are hearing from God each and every day.
2. How have you seen the Bible transform your life in the past? How is it currently transforming you? What kind of transformation do you hope to see in your life as a result of consistent time in Scripture?
3. How does the Bible point us (in both the Old and New Testament) to the ultimate source of hope? In what ways are we able to see the ultimate hero of Scripture when we read the Old Testament? The New Testament?
4. Why do you think people often get tired of reading the Bible? What might be the heart problem underneath a lack of desire to daily read and ingest Scripture? If heart and life transformation take place more in the 10,000 little moments of everyday life, what should that tell us about the importance of daily time in the Word?
5. Take some time right now to ask God for the grace to be in his Word consistently throughout this new year. Ask him to reveal himself to you more and more and pray for the eyes to see Jesus in fresh new ways that confront your sin and transform your heart.