The LORD’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them.
PSALM 111:2 (CSB)

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How amazing are the deeds of the LORD!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
(NLT)

GOD’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
(The Message)

A woman in one of the churches I served read through the Bible every year. We all knew this because she expected us to give her a pin in a Sunday morning worship service to acknowledge her accomplishment. 

While somewhat uncomfortable with her expectation of public acclaim, I realized I had never read the Bible through from cover to cover. This was somewhat convicting. Since I was the pastor, I should probably set the example. Since I was the pastor, people might look down on me for not having read the Bible cover to cover. 

How to go about getting started was the question. Did I take my preaching Bible and begin with Genesis and read straight through to Revelation? Did I read a mixture of Old Testament and New Testament? 

Fortunately, the One Year Bible was available in a variety of translations. This reading plan included daily selections from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I enjoyed reading through it several times.

Then I found a one-year Bible in chronological order. That was interesting. Then I found a one-year Bible from The Message paraphrase. For over thirty years now I have made it a daily habit to read through one Bible reading plan or another that takes me through the Bible in a year. Feel free to send me a pin if you can find one.

Sometime along the way, I learned to focus on a verse or two a day and to ponder that deeply. What was God saying to me through that text at that particular time in my life? How would I obey what God was saying to me in response to what he said? How would I turn that insight into a prayer of commitment? 

The SOAP outline has served me well over the years. S stands for Scripture. O stands for observation. A stands for application. P stands for prayer. This is how these daily devotionals are shaped. There is a Bible verse or verses like Psalm 111:2 above. There are my observations of what the Bible text says. There is my personal application beginning with, “I will . . .” There is a prayer of commitment based on the text and my personal application. 

It may seem like it might get old after reading the Bible every day for thirty years. On the contrary, I agree with the psalmist here: 

GOD’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
(The Message)

I also agree when he says in verse 4,

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate. 

Memory is worth cultivating. It is God’s grace and compassion to tell us the truth and to empower us to align and attune ourselves with it.

Verse 7 says,

The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.

How will I recognize truth and justice, how will I seek it in this day and time, if I do not know what is truly true and justly just? 

The psalmist bottom-lines things for us in verse 10:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his instructions have good insight.
His praise endures forever.

Don’t miss the first word in that middle sentence—all. You and I are included there. We have about as much insight as we want, as much as we seek. 

However long I live, I intend to begin my days with time alone with God and his words of truth and life. Join me in the journey. There is a better reward than a pin. There is truth and life, joy and delight.

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I will read the Bible every day for insight, understanding, application, and commitment.

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Our Father, thank you for giving us your words of truth and life. Thank you for growing us in knowledge, wisdom, insight, and understanding as we read the Bible and open our hearts and minds to what you want to say to us. Thank you for empowering us to live better lives through the application of your instructions. Thank you for teaching us to pray in faith in response to what we read. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Amen.