Final Reads of 2023
I just entered my final reads of 2023 into my Goodreads shelf. While these two were the final books I read, they were the first two I started last year. Of course, that was intentional because the two books were the Bible and The Bible Recap, a chronological Bible reading plan that offers a recap of the text and some extra explanation.
About a year and a half ago, I was listening to a podcast and a woman named Tara-Leigh Cobble was talking about the Bible and her journey of falling in love with it. Though she had been a Christian for a long time, she’d never loved reading the Bible, until her approach to reading it changed.
Like a lot of us, she would read the Bible and try to see herself or her life in what she read, which didn’t exactly leave her with a hunger for the Word. Then, a pastor offered a simple piece of advice: don’t look for yourself, look for God.
When I heard her say that, something inside me clicked. It’s so simple, it’s almost comical. But, the reality is, that small shift makes all the difference because the more we look for God, the more we find him and the better we can know him. Just like in any other relationship, the more we get to know God, the more we become like him.
I didn’t make it through this plan perfectly (I definitely got behind a few times and had to catch up), but I’m so glad I decided to use the Bible Recap plan to read the Bible last year. The recap of each day’s reading is so helpful. It does a great job of breaking down the text and connecting it to the overarching story of God’s pursuit of his people. My understanding of the Bible grew, as did my appreciation for the Bible. I would definitely recommend checking out the Bible Recap, either the book or the podcast.
A few highlights from the Bible Recap that really stuck with me:
We won’t ever have all the answers. Sometimes we have to simply sit in the mystery and trust God.
God is always working, even when we can’t see it. Even when it takes a lot longer than we want, he’s always working out his plan for the world.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit didn’t suddenly appear for the first time in the New Testament. They were always there, working alongside God from the beginning of time to now.
I always thought the word ‘apocalypse’ meant destruction or something because of how it’s often used. Turns out, it’s a Greek word meaning ‘revelation.’