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Bible Reading Tracker

Ecclesiastes says that there’s a time for everything — and the new year tends to be a time for fresh starts. God’s Word is a great place to begin!

For a while now people have been asking me to make them a way to track which books of the Bible they have read, so we thought for the New Year we would share with you a free Bible reading tracker printable that you can use throughout the year!

This printable is super simple…it is literally all the books of the Bible so that you can mark off each book of the Bible after reading it. But nonetheless, it is pretty helpful and so encouraging to use!

Download Your Bible Tacker Today

Why use a Bible Reading Tracker?

You may be wondering why it is helpful to use a Bible reading tracker or a Bible reading checklist of some sort. There are a few ways that I have found this helpful whether I am reading through the Bible using a Bible reading plan OR just reading random books of the Bible.

I have found it helpful to see my progress and to encourage me to keep on reading. It is so encouraging to visually see how far you’ve come. The Bible reading tracker is really helpful if you are reading random verses or books of the Bible as it helps you to see what you have read and what you haven’t read in a long time.

We all tend to have our favorite books of the Bible that we come back to time and time again, but tracking what we have read can help us to see the holes in our Bible reading. It points out which books you may have never read or haven’t read in a long time. It can stretch us to read the harder parts and dive in deep into the biblical storyline in places that we haven’t before. It can keep you accountable to spend time in God’s Word as you track your way through the scriptures. It can be a resource to use with a friend or a disciple as you read through God’s Word together!

Other Encouragements…
I hope these plans along with the Bible reading tracker will help you to grasp the grand story of scripture and the plan of redemption that God has set forth. As you journey through God’s Word, I pray that God will reveal to you more about Himself and the plan He has for His creation and glory in all the earth. 

Download Your Bible Tacker Today

We challenge you to spend time in the Word of God in the new year!

ARISE AND SHINE

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.’—Isaiah 60:1-3

The prophet makes a bold claim…OUR LIGHT HAS COME! The image of light and darkness is highlighted in the Book of Genesis with the first act of creation being the separation of light and darkness. The people are called to “rise up and shine,” as a response to God’s glory and the light of the Lord arriving in their midst. The world is mired down in darkness; but, God is doing something about it.

The Gospel of John will make much of this metaphor of light. In John 1 it refers to Jesus arriving on the scene: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world (John 1:9). Here we learn five things about light:

• Jesus is the light of humankind (1:4)
• The light is the source of life (1:4)
• The light shines in the darkness and is not the darkness (1:5)
• John is not the light, but John told others about the light (1:6-8)

The true light gives light to everyone, but is also not recognized (1:9-10) John (3:19–21) Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But, whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Later, John 8:12 has Jesus saying: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” In fact, John 12:36 says, “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” So, now we move from Jesus alone being identified as the light, to people becoming “children of light” by faith in the light of Jesus!

For the authors of Scripture, a world filled with darkness was a very real experience: No light switches, just oil lamps and hopefully, a clear starlit sky or full moon to give any hope of illumination in their darkened existence. We gain a tiny glimpse of their fearfilled world when the power goes off in the midst of a storm and we are left to navigate ourselves through a house of daunting shadows and obstacles. Many of my neighbors have the convenience of a generator that seamlessly restores the light in the midst of darkness. To many of us, prolonged darkness is unknown. How will we be light and offer light in this new year? What does the coming of Christ bring into our lives that can allow us to reflect the splendor of His coming?

Let’s “spark” some faith in action in the days ahead!

Happy New Year,

Pastor David

Church Council Corner

Every year, the same January phenomenon occurs:

Reinvigorated congregants to rejoin our services and we find ourselves forced to park a bit further from the door.

Many believers resolve to deepen their relationship with God.

Or maybe they want to commit more deeply to the Church by serving the Lord and others. This inspiration is a call from our Father, and now is a perfect time to act.

If you’re ready for more this year, there are a number of opportunities to strengthen your faith and our community, right here at Armstrong.

• You can share in a small group and spend an hour or so each week in fellowship.
• You can volunteer your time by serving in the children’s ministry, our Sunday choir, or any of our outreach programs.

There’s a way for everyone to tie themselves closer to Christ and our congregation this year.

It’s time to pray, commit, and do.