Back in September I posted several reasons why reading the Bible is necessary for professing Christians. It seems a little odd that I would even have to post such a thing, because Bible reading is an assumed step you take when you make the commitment to give your life over to Christ, but I for one, can admit that my Bible reading can be in-consistent. I have my good days and my bad days and I can definitely see a huge difference in my day when I go without reading it (which is yet another proof to me that it is more than just a book of Words but rather the "lamp unto my feet" referenced in Psalm 119. It's almost like an empty feeling that comes from not spending time with God that day. This is why Christianity is an active relationship with God, unlike all other "religions.") I was reading an article on one of my favorite Christian blogs, Gospel Coalition, about how not to read your Bible in 2013. One of the reasons people fall away from Bible reading is because they don't have a plan. That makes sense. If I have a goal of reaching a certain weight or gaining a certain amount of muscle, it wouldn't be enough for me to inconsistently hit up the gym whenever I found the time. As with anything in life, people will only reach their goals if they are dedicated in both their time and effort. Just the same, being a Christian requires dedication and effort.D.A. Carson once said, "The sheer pace of life affords us many excuses for sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent." If we are truly professing Christians, then spending time with our Creator (both in His word, through worship and in prayer) should be on the top of our daily to-do list. It is not enough to substitute our time with sermons, Christian books or even conversing with Christian friends...if that is all our relationship with Christ is built upon than we have shallow faith and just random bits of Biblical knowledge. This brings a whole lot of misinterpreting Scripture and the Bible may become nothing more than a self-help book that we go to in our times of need (<< this too, is bad because it causes us to pick out certain pieces of Scripture and use them to our benefit without seeing the bigger framework for why it was written.)All this to say, if you are a professing Christian, I encourage you to dedicate your 2013 to daily Bible reading. Commit to a schedule so that you make it a habit. Find a plan and stick with it and also find a friend/loved one to help keep you accountable. While there are many plans for reading the Bible in a year, don't feel pressured to cram it all in at once. There are several different versions of the One Year Bible as well as individual Bible book studies out there. Do your research, read reviews and be sure to find something with deep content. Don't under-do it but don't over-do it. Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you through His words and be sure to focus on your heart/relationship instead of pointing the finger at others when reading. Use resources like commentaries, Bible dictionaries and other study books to help you gain proper context within passages. The more you make a habit of this, the more you will see how you can't live without it!I leave you with this... imagine what the Church would look like if we were a people who daily dove into the the Bible and allowed it to transform them through the work of the Holy Spirit. Set aside your Christian books and podcasts and chew on real spiritual meat. We are only 3 days into January, friends. There's no better time to dedicate this year to Bible reading than now.