Today’s reading: 2 Chronicles 36; Revelation 22; Malachi 4; John 21
I’ll be honest, when we started the biblejournal.net on January 1, 2016 I thought our goals were pretty lofty. Can you believe today marks the 366th day (2016 was a leap year) of our journey? We read the Bible in a year (even more considering the M’Cheyne plan we followed took us through the New Testament and Psalms two times). That is approximately 1,599 chapters, 41,520 verses, 807,370 words and 1,667 pages, depending on which version you read. But we didn’t only read, we also took time to post about how God spoke to us through the assigned scriptures EVERY SINGLE DAY of 2016. We didn’t miss even one time. Wow!
More important than just achieving the tasks we set out to accomplish, I want you to know about the personal benefit I gained from being in God’s word every day and sharing my convictions with you. It wasn’t always easy. Some posts came easier than others, and some (obviously) turned out better than others. I had weeks when I read my assigned scripture 4 and 5 times and still couldn’t come up with anything to write about. It is disheartening to reflect on how easy it was, even when writing about the power of Jesus Christ, to feel like I had to rely on myself to deliver something meaningful. Let me tell you, amidst my occasional struggles, when I finally turned it over to God, he sparked an idea and put a message on my heart EVERY SINGLE TIME. Amazing.
On the last day of our 2016 journey, it only seems fitting to write about the last chapter of the Bible – Revelation 22. As we read through the Bible this year, we saw countless examples where God orchestrated every single detail to fulfill prophecy and point to Jesus Christ as the Messiah. He kept his promises throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. He is still keeping his promises today. Did you notice his promise recorded in Revelation 22:20?
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon…”
After journeying with us in 2016, if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ, would you consider taking that step? You want to secure your place in eternity with God, not an eternity separated from him. Time is of the essence, Jesus is coming soon. Please pray this prayer with me:
God, I confess I am a sinner and deserve the consequences of my sin. But, I believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection made a way for my forgiveness. Today, I am turning from my sin and putting my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone. Thank you Lord, for forgiving me. Thank you for saving me.
…Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).