2009 is officially here, and I’ve got a challenge for you: let’s read the Bible through this year!

It’s really not a new habit for me, as I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, and I’d say it’s the single-biggest factor in my personal spiritual growth!  That’s why every year at CLC we make a Bible reading guide available for free to every CLCer (if you didn’t get yours yet, pick one up at the Connections desk this weekend at any campus).

My friends at LifeChurch.tv offer another way to fulfill this great habit, with their YouVersion Bible that you can get here, and it automatically includes a daily Bible reading plan.  So whether you read from a monitor, your cellphone, or your favorite translation, you can read through the entire Bible in 2009.

It’s really not about keeping a New Year’s resolution, or the satisfaction of checking off those little boxes - it’s about hearing God as you read.  For instance, today He spoke to me through Genesis 1:2 - and I believe it could be a ‘word’ for you, too:

No matter how 2009 has begun for you, the truth is that the Spirit of God is hovering over you - other translations render that verb, “brooding”, which is what a mother bird does to hatch its eggs.  So what I’m hearing today is that the Holy Spirit is at work, even if you’re unaware, to ‘birth’ some new things in you this year - so get ready, get ready, get ready!

I really believe this is a ‘new season’ as was declared last Sunday at CLC - and as you read God’s Word each day, you’ll be positioning yourself to receive!