As I was taking a walk around the neighborhood. I came across this yard and its wise men decoration. This neighbor posts this sign each year, but this time, it struck me differently.
In our world today, there is a lot of disagreement on knowledge and facts and wisdom, the most I have seen during my life. Yet this simple sign points us to the solution: seeking the wisdom of Jesus, which reveals our own wisdom in doing so.
Just as we need to put Christ back into Christmas, we Christians need to put Christ back into our hearts and into our minds and onto our lips.
Several people I know are embarking on a year-long study of the Bible; my wife Sara reads through the Bible each year through different guides. It seems to me that you have to go pretty fast simply to read all the words in the Bible in 365 days.
I suggest a different, more narrowly focused study. Take the deepest dive into the four Gospels this year, the part of the Bible that tells us the most about Jesus's life, words, and actions. We are followers of Christ, right? As Jesus's disciples, we need to know as much about him as possible.
As a result, I've created a Gospel in a Year Reading Plan now available on the home page of CecilTaylorMinistries.com. It allows you to read the Gospels slowly, not quickly, based on sections defined in most Bible translations.
In fact, using the Bible app, NIV version, I counted the following sections:
Matthew = 123
Mark = 73
Luke = 109
John = 67
TOTAL = 372
That's right - there are almost the same number of Gospel sections as days in a year! I've gone through and mapped the 372 sections into the 365 days (some are short enough to combine), so the plan is all done for you.
Take your time to learn about Jesus and absorb his teachings. Use a concordance (often found within paper Bibles but also separately) to compare the same stories across multiple Gospels, noticing the similarities and differences. Get a feel for how each Gospel tells the Jesus story and what qualities or perspectives each emphasizes.
It's not too late to get started; because the sections are short, you can easily catch up, no matter when you're reading this during January.
The Cecil Taylor Ministries Gospel in a Year Reading Plan is a concrete way to learn about Jesus in a year. May you read the Gospels slowly and contemplatively, and may your reading of the Bible and the teaching of the Holy Spirit change your life.
Head to CecilTaylorMinistries.com and look for the Reading Plan PDF underneath the righthand picture on the home page. Click on the PDF image to download the document to your device.
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