Displaying items by tag: Bible reading

Reading the Bible devotionally in 2025 can deepen spiritual growth and intimacy with God. Many start the year with plans to read the entire Bible, but success requires organisation and the right tools. A structured plan, such as the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan, offers an effective approach. Created by 19th-century minister Robert Murray M’Cheyne, the plan enables readers to journey through the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year and the Old Testament once. Daily readings balance OT and NT passages, fostering personal devotion and a comprehensive understanding of Scripture. Reading devotionally involves engaging the mind and heart, seeking God in worship, and responding in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and prayer. Scripture, as God’s living Word (Heb 4:12), guides believers and inspires joy and wonder. M’Cheyne emphasised that reading should lead to spiritual growth, not mere formality.

Livno is a small town in western Bosnia, an hour-and-a-half from the coastal city of Split, Croatia. Pray for spiritual seekers in Livno. Recently, a worker connected with two potential believers through a social media ministry and started reading the Bible with them. They were excited and wanted to read more until their Catholic priest told them to throw out the ‘Protestant’ Bibles, which they did. Pray that the priest will encourage these seekers to read God's Word from a ‘Catholic’ Bible, and that God will continue to draw them to Himself and to reveal Himself, no matter what version they read. Pray that the worker who was reading with them will be encouraged to continue to walk this journey alongside them. Pray that, ultimately, they will know Jesus and be joined with others in the body of Christ.

A recent survey shows that during the pandemic Christians are reading the Bible more; it is having a positive impact on their mental health, wellbeing and hope in the future. Many also found it helped with loneliness, and amazingly 97% of respondents found that it had completely or partly met their reasons for engaging with the Bible. The answers to the multiple open-ended questions in this survey provided a plethora of rich data. Since the pandemic started, 35% had seen their engagement with the Bible increase while only 5% had seen it decline. This was also reflected in the length of time spent with the Bible, which had increased for 27%. Interestingly 54% of those who were engaging more said they were also discussing it more with others.

Six years after the first episode of ‘Reading the Bible with Ulrich Parzany’ went on air, the Christian TV station Bibel TV will broadcast a new devotional section, starting on Sunday 4 November. In it, Pastor Ulrich Parzany deals with Matthew's Gospel in 164 episodes. Viewers will get to know the clarity of the Bible and the relevance of the biblical word for us today. The programme’s content and language is carefully chosen to reflect the fact that it is watched both by Christians and non-Christians. Other books available on Bibel TV’s website are Luke, Acts, and Romans.