In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”

Many years ago, Betty, the children and I took through the Rocky Mountain range, driving and camping; stopping occasionally to adsorb the wonders of a special spot. A portion of another vacation was spent camping at a meadow above the treeline and enjoying day hikes. I am thankful for the appreciation I gained for the awesome beauty of the Rocky Mountains on both trips

Similarly, I was moved by the Holy Spirit in the spring of 1989 to begin a practice of reading one chapter a day from each of seven sections of the Bible. Sometime this spring, the list was augmented by including 4 Psalms to frame my studies of the Scriptures (1,2,145 as I start each evening, 150 at the conclusion). The practice has been profitable, and LORD willing, will continue, but…

This most recent study of the role of the Spirit has shown me that I need to expand my approach to gaining an understanding of the Word of the LORD. I am beginning to gain an appreciation for the completeness that the Spirit brings to work of the Triune Godhead; the sense of the beauty in the Rocky Mountains was seriously incomplete until I hiked through that mountain meadow filled with blooming flowers.

This is a journey, a voyage through the relationship between God, the Father, God the Son, God, the Holy Spirit. Thank you for being with me on this journey.

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Reading

Morning Psalm 149, Noon Psalm 119:169-176, Evening Psalm 80, If you follow this regimen, you will pray through the Psalms every 47 days or just under 8 times per year.

An alternate Reading Plan is based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation. This plan, over a several year period will result in an average reading of the entire Bible in slightly over twice per year. I've been following this plan since 1989 and still find the mixture of Scriptures presented each day to be a delightful way to end my day. The NLB app has a scheduling tool that assists greatly in keeping track of the reading list.

Or set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits. But a daily time in the Word of the LORD is an absolute.

Suggested Supplementary Reading

The Christian’s Creed: Embracing the Apostolic Faith by Dr. Stanley D. Gale. There is also a workbook available.