“Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41
It’s 2026 and many of us have quit some of our resolutions already. That weight loss goal? Frustration led to four pieces of pie. Working out? You can’t find the time like you thought you could. Reading the Bible in a year? You made it to Genesis 5 and gave up due to morning responsibilities. The problem with Bible Reading Plans is the manner in which we approach them. We often consider a plan of sorts and expect ourselves to depend upon the system in order to be successful.
Matthew 26:41 may not directly refer to resolutions but in an indirect way it does. Jesus makes the distinction between a human’s desire versus our nature. Our desire is to make a change in our life, but our flesh (or our very own nature) will eventually fail us. In verse 40 he addresses the apostles’ weakness of being able to stay awake and keep watch while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Their flesh caused failure.
To solely blame our flesh is only partially correct, in my opinion. In the case of Bible Reading Plans, we don’t look any deeper than the “should”. No matter the reason was for walking away from reading the Bible, all roads normally lead to one root issue–definition. What is the Bible? I feel this is where the rubber meets the road. If we examine how we define the Bible, we will find out why we fail.
Ask yourself the following:
- WHY do I want to read through the entire Bible?
- WHAT would reading the entire Bible mean to me?
- WHY do I want to read the Bible within a specific length of time?
Be honest with yourself. Are you attempting to read the entire Bible because it’s what you feel you should do? Are you reading it because it’s something you want to say you did in 2026? If you said yes to either of these, you are going to fail.
My advice, STOP READING THE BIBLE…or at least reading it–to read it. The Bible is not a book. The Bible is divine–it’s supernatural. It’s God’s chosen medium to communicate with his creation. We tend to think that the Bible is God’s final word–case closed…but that’s not all it is. Yes, the Bible is God’s Word but it’s an active Word. God lives through it. He speaks to our lives through it. It’s not stationary where we read it once and obtain the knowledge we need. It’s a part of us. As Christ is abiding in us, so is his Word. It’s continuous. Once we realize that we are connecting with The Lord through his Word each and every day, we will stop viewing the Bible as a novel found on a bookstore shelf. Understanding the Bible for what it is moves us to want to read it continuously for connection, not obligation.
Instead of following a system, how about keeping a journal. Read through it slowly, at your own pace, while asking God to speak to you over what you read in his Word. Nothing delights him more. Notate the text. Mark it up. Create journal entries that you can look back on and recall what God said to you or impressed upon your heart. This is about relationship, not accomplishment.
I pray that your definition and consideration of his Word is transformed in 2026, and you will find growth not in a schedule but in a desire to grow closer to him every day.
