Finished my annual trek through the Bible this week ahead of schedule and have gotten an early start on 2023. This year, I read the beautiful and majestic Authorized Version (i.e., King James) with all its regal color and ancient tones. For the coming year, I’ll be reading Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase, The Message. The two could not be more different. Still, I hope to gain insights into the text that may be missed by reading more familiar versions.

So, what about you? Have you considered your reading for the coming year? If you have never read through the Bible, with all my heart, I encourage you to do it this year. I recommend the 5-Day Bible Reading plan that takes you chronologically through God’s Word. Reading Monday through Friday gives you the weekend to catch up or to read something else.

I urge patience in reading the Bible. Don’t be in hurry and be sure to leave time for meditation--in fact, it may be more profitable to read shorter passages so you have more time to meditate. There is no better preparation for prayer than meditation. Ponder what you’ve read. Force yourself to turn it over and over again in your mind. You might even follow Martin Luther’s habit. After spending time in God’s Word he would ask himself the following four questions:

• What does this passage teach me to do?

• What does it teach me to be thankful for?

• What does it teach me to confess?

• What does it teach me to ask for?

As for reading in general, we do well to remember that what we read influences the way we interpret the world around us. For that reason, seek to read the very best books and material available--those that expand your perception of life and the world. As A.W. Tozer wrote: “The mind should be an eye to see with rather than a bin in which to store facts.” He also said that, after the Bible, the best thing you could read is a good hymnal. Savoring the hymns of Watts and Wesley will make anyone a better theologian.

If you would improve your mind, challenge yourself spiritually, and broaden your understanding of God’s Word, by all means begin a steady diet of Puritan writings, such as John Owen’s The Mortification of Sin, John Bunyan on Prayer, The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes, and All Things for Good by Thomas Watson. If you have not yet read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis or Knowledge of the Holy by Tozer, I highly recommend them.

Being a lover of history, I am presently reading Tom Holland’s Dominion, which is an incredible overview of how Christianity shaped western civilization. Other books are on my list, and I encourage you to make your own list of books to read in the coming year. Charles “Tremendous” Jones said, “Leaders are always readers.” Purpose in your heart to make 2023 a year of spiritual growth by reading God’s Word and other good books. There’s no better way to become the leader God’s wants you to be as a husband, father, friend, or co-worker.