Today is the first day of 2024. Since this is the start of a new year, many of you have probably already formulated resolutions for how you will do things differently this year. But it can be hard to think of a resolution that will actually impact your life and that you will be able to stick to. If you’re having a hard time thinking of meaningful resolutions, keep reading.
A great resolution that can have a lot of impact is consistently reading your Bible. However, if you’ve tried this (or really any resolution) before, you know that it can be hard to keep going without accountability. One way to combat this is to start a Bible study.
My Bible Study
This past semester I started a Bible study with a couple of my friends. Throughout the week we each read some chapters of the Bible and then on Friday, we meet to discuss any thoughts or questions we had on the chapters. We decided to start from Genesis and go through the Bible. We don’t have a specific plan because we want to keep it manageable for everyone, but we all try to stay around the same place.
Accountability
The most important part for me is the accountability a Bible study brings. I do a lot better reading the Bible each week when I know I’m going to talk about it with others than when I try to do it myself. Of course, this is really helpful in Bible study, especially when we’re reading books like Leviticus, which can be difficult to get through without encouragement. But accountability is key in any goal or habit you might have for yourself this year.
Manageability
In our Bible study, we try to keep the reading manageable. We didn’t do something that we knew would overwhelm us, like trying to read through the whole Bible in a year. Instead, we decided to try to read a chapter per day and take as long as we need to get through the Bible. This prevents us from getting overwhelmed or burnt out. It also ensures that we take in what we’re reading. We are attempting to read for understanding, not simply for getting through the Bible.
That’s not to say that reading through the Bible in a year is a bad idea. It can be a really great goal, but you have to know your schedule and what you are going to be able to manage.
Community
I wanted to start our Bible study not only for accountability but also for community. The other high schoolers I study with are all right around my age and we all come from Christian, classically homeschooled backgrounds. Because we’re all friends, I look forward to each study session which in turn encourages me to read the Bible throughout the week. I am so thankful to have found this community to study the Bible with.
If you want to start a Bible study, it’s truly not as hard as it seems. All I did to start was ask a group of friends if they were interested. I didn’t have much of a plan, but a couple of friends responded with interest. Together we worked to come up with what would work best for us.
Whether you resolve to start a Bible study or do anything else, I think having accountability, a community, and manageable goals are great steps in making sure you stick with those resolutions. Happy New Year!
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