2015 Bible Reading Plan: The Gospel of John

The holidays are over, the New Year is here, and I want to invite you into a 2015 Bible reading plan in the writings of the Apostle John that I am praying and believing will be nothing less than life-altering for you and me.  We will begin with the Gospel of John, using this reading schedule: 2015 Bible Reading Plan.

The theme of John’s Gospel revolves around knowing Jesus—the most noble and fruitful pursuit in all of life!  To know Jesus is eternal life—the abundant life as we walk this planet and life forever in the eternal world.  The goal of this devotional journey in John will be to create an unquenchable thirst and a clear path for pursuing, knowing and enjoying Jesus in a way that transforms every aspect of our lives, making us more useful for this world and more ready for the next.

There are several reasons I believe a thorough saturation in John’s Gospel will be a worthy pursuit:

1) The Gospel of John, at the most fundamental level, is the Word of God. And the internal witness of the Bible promises us that a faithful reading and diligent obedience of it will lead to wisdom and Divine favor now and ceaseless blessings for all eternity.

2) The Gospel of John brings to us the most sustained and compelling portrait of the exalted Christ we will ever find. Andreas Köstenberger has written that “John’s Gospel, together with the Book of Romans, may well be considered the enduring ‘twin towers’ of [our] theology.”

3) The Gospel of John was written by one who, arguably, had the most intimate relationship with Jesus of any human being in history. John self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his book. There is a depth of affection, friendship and intimacy between this disciple and his Lord that is both stunning and inviting.

4) The Gospel of John, read and grasped, will be a profitable challenge. For me, John is the most difficult Gospel to get my brain around on a holistic level, though I find individual verses and passage as some of the most meaningful and beautiful in Scripture. I am looking forward to mastering it—at least attempting to do so.

5) The Gospel of John will satiate our hunger to know and follow Christ at a deeper level as well as, if not better, than any other devotional endeavor.

In what better way can we be drawn closer to Christ, made useful for this world and readied for the next than to give our best meditation and passionate worship to the glory of Christ that is revealed the Gospel of John? As the Apostle wrote in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” And we have been invited to immerse ourselves in his glory!

I am looking forward to this glorious journey—and I hope you will come with me!

“I know of no greater spiritual discipline than Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, praying the Scriptures—that will contribute to your health and growth as a believer. It’s as simple as that. If you want to mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, prepare you for eternity, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and in general, live in the blessing zone of God’s favor, you’ve got to be in God’s Holy Word on a regular, if not daily, basis.” (Ray Noah)