The Bible is a BIG book. Now you’ve finished reading the Bible in 90 Days. That’s a BIG accomplishment. Don’t let your momentum go. If you’re wondering what’s next read on.
We did it! (Or we’re on our way to finishing!) Over the weekend we passed the “official” 90th day of the 90 Day Bible Reading Challenge. It’s wild to think that summer is nearly over and it’s been three months since the challenge started.
As always, I’ll remind you: If you aren’t done, that’s totally okay! It’s more important that you are reading through the Bible in a condensed timeline, than the actual amount of days it takes. The goal here is to get a good overview and understanding of what the Big Picture of the Bible looks like. When read in a short span, we are less likely to forget details.
So whether it took 90 days or you are more on track to finish in 100 (or 150), keep going! You can do it! And you’ll be so glad you did.
With the challenge over and fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some follow up/reflection with you. And if you didn’t join in the Challenge, that’s okay too–maybe some of these reflections will sell you on the idea and you’ll give it a try through the fall. (Get the reading plan here.)
What Now?
Anytime you finish a Bible study or reading strategy, I recommend some reflection before moving on. The rest of the post is an example of my reflection and questions I use to decide what to do next.
Things I’ve Noticed About Myself After Reading The Bible in 90 Days
Whenever I complete a challenge for reading the Bible in 90 days, I ALWAYS notice positive change in myself. Inevitably I think–I should do this more often! But life comes up, and cyclically reading the entire Bible every 90 days isn’t sustainable in my life.
No matter. Every time I complete a cycle I’m reminded of just how powerful God’s Word is. Here are five things I’ve noticed in my mind, attitude and heart through the challenge.
- Captive Thoughts. I have had more control over my thoughts. Taking my thoughts captive (II Cor 10:5) now comes with relative ease. Anxiety, worries, lies–they are taken captive, bound, tossed aside and replaced with Truth. Listening/reading big portions of Scripture also leaves little space for those lies to creep into my mind.
- Godly Musings. When I wasn’t listening to Scripture, my thoughts were still there. The things I’ve wondered about and talked about have been godly. This practice has made it habit to “set my mind on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col 3:2)
- Demeanor. My demeanor is calmer. I organically have more patience and understanding. I see the fruit of the Spirit naturally growing and manifesting in my life.
- Intentionality. It’s been so rewarding to see that I can set a goal and achieve it. God has shown me when I pursue Him intentionally, He will make space. The excuses of being in the midst of a remodel, or caring for a 2 year old or being pregnant didn’t stand in the way. With determined intentionality, reading Scripture became a natural part of the day that felt nothing like work.
- God’s Voice. I’ve been able to discern God’s voice and inspiration in my heart more clearly.
Ways My Understanding of Scripture Deepened While Reading the Bible in 90 Days
Any purposeful reading of Scripture will deepen our understanding. But here are some specific things (I limited myself to only five) that stood out to me during this reading. Yours will probably be different than mine!
- The Sabbath. I gained a deeper understanding of the Sabbath, its meaning and importance. I was so inspired I wrote a series all about Sabbath rest. You can read more here.
- The Prophets. This reading plan helped me understand where the prophets fit into the Old Testament narrative, and the Big Picture of the Bible.
- Remembrance. Frequently God tells His people to remember. Specifically, to remember the history of Abraham, Moses and Egypt. This history is used throughout Scripture to rebuke, remind, and persuade others of the credibility of God as Yahweh and Jesus as Messiah. It’s important to have an understanding of OT history to explain and defend the credibility of Christ.
- The Epistles. The letters to churches recorded in the New Testament are written to different audiences from different authors at different times in different places. Yet so much of the instruction and language is nearly verbatim in its overlap. While each letter is unique, reading them all in a short time opened my eyes to how cohesive these teachings are. This gives deep credibility to their message and testifies to the fact that they witnesses of Jesus. (For more on eye-witness credibility, I highly recommend Cold Case Christianity by J Warner Wallace.)
- Sanctification. People are truly only sanctified (set apart, special, made righteous) by God. Through everything, God demonstrates that no person or people group is special on their own. They are special because HE sanctifies them. People cannot and will never be able to achieve righteousness apart from God.
What Next?
Now that this big challenge is drawing to a close it’s important to have a plan for what comes next. Don’t let the new habits and momentum you’ve built up fade away. Be intentional and create a plan that will move you forward now that you’ve finished reading the Bible in 90 days (or maybe a few more.)
Here are some things to ponder as you decide how to move forward. Start with prayer. Where is He calling you to deepen your understanding? Is He calling you to step out as a study or small group leader? Spend time chatting with Him.
- What stumped you? What was confusing or raised questions? Dig deeper and search until you’ve got answers have reached a place of understanding.
- What was fascinating? Which books or chapters do you wish you could have slowed down and spent more time in? (For me it’s Kings and Chronicles!)
- Big chunks or little pieces? Did you enjoy big chunks or are you ready to slow down and dig deep? Reflecting on this will give you a good idea of how to continue in your Bible reading.
- Themes. Were there themes that stood out to you? Maybe you’d like to explore them more deeply. (A prime example for me is the Sabbath.)
- People, places and times. Is there a person you would like to know better? Is there a place you’d like to know more about? Or is there an era that stood out to you? (Like the divided kingdom, exile, early church, etc.) These are great places to launch an individual study–or track down an organized study that will help you dig deep.
Try journaling your answers. This will help you visualize where you’d like to go next in your Bible reading journey.
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