A Great Resolution for Growing in Christ

Before we get to the most significant indicator of spiritual growth,

let’s talk about resolutions.

 

At the beginning of a new year, the American writer and humorist, Mark Twain, famously wrote,

Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds …[1]

Several studies confirm that resolutions are usually abandoned after a short time. However, a recent Swedish study provides some intriguing and helpful findings.[2] Here are two of those findings:

1. Approach-oriented resolutions (doing something positive) had a significantly greater chance of success than avoidance-oriented (stopping something negative). Twain’s resolutions are about stopping bad behavior; they are avoidance-oriented.
2. Moderate social help and accountability outperformed both no support and overly detailed interventions.

Let’s consider an approach-oriented resolution with moderate social support that leads to greater spiritual growth.

 

Why?

Dr. Ed Stetzer signals our proposed resolution in his article “Bible reading leads to spiritual growth,” where he states, 

There is much research that shows the correlation between spiritual maturity and reading the Bible. In Brad Waggoner’s book The Shape of Faith to Come, which is based on a Lifeway Research study, and in George Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life material, we see that reading the Bible is the best predictor of spiritual maturity. In other words, if you are in the Bible, you are growing spiritually.[3]

This resolution has a positive, or approach-oriented, purpose and goal.

You might ask, “Where should I start, and how do I keep going?”

I’m glad you asked. 

Let’s be a bit more specific about this resolution.

 

How?

My advice is to begin at the beginning. That might sound obvious, but it is necessary.

In concrete terms, beginning at Genesis 1 and reading the historical narratives of the Bible, what I call the Historical Backbone of the Bible, is the place to start. Here is the link to my YouTube video: “What Historical Narratives?” (16:53), which provides four reasons for my recommendation. 

This Historical Backbone will orient you to the big picture of God’s Story as He engages with humanity and His creation. The goal is a basic comprehension of the people, places, and events. Who are Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, and so on? What are God’s covenants with Abraham and David, and what is the new covenant in Jesus Christ? What is the exodus? Who were the judges and the kings? And, there is much more.

As you gain this historical context, you will see better what God is doing and why. Your reading of the Bible will become more understandable and meaningful.

Do not be afraid of this resolution. I have led groups of five to fifty through this reading project with little to no drop-out. There is no reason it cannot work with one, although it is better with at least two or three.

Let me explain how it works.

How it works

This is a guided reading of fewer than one-third of the chapters of the Bible, or to be more precise, 370 chapters.

You might think that is a lot, but let’s make it more manageable.

Each group in this guided reading chooses how many chapters to read each day. The most common choice is four chapters. Although chapters vary in length, at five or so minutes each, that would mean around 20 to 30 minutes of reading a day. Most see that as manageable.

Remember that this is an approach-oriented (doing something positive) activity, which has a significantly greater chance of success than avoiding or stopping a bad habit.

Usually, you read six days a week. The extra day could be a break or an opportunity to make up for a missed day. That sounds manageable.

Now, if you read four chapters a day, six days a week, that is 24 chapters a week. Dividing 370 chapters by 24 chapters a week means that it would take a little more than 15 weeks. Again, that is quite manageable.

Of course, you might choose to go faster or slower. The key point is to complete all the chapters and gain a basic understanding of the Bible’s historical trajectory, its people, places, and events.

So, pick a speed that is neither too slow nor too fast. Too slow means you will not get a panoramic view if you only read a little each day; too fast means you will wear yourself out and miss a lot.

There is a “secret sauce.”

 

The ‘secret sauce’

There is a “secret sauce” to completing this guided reading. It is a community—others who are participants with you in this project. They provide both accountability and encouragement.

Again, remember that moderate social help and accountability outperformed both no support and overly detailed interventions.

Meet with your partner or partners at least once a week. It can be over coffee, a friendly telephone call, or some other personal contact. During that time:

• share how your reading is coming,
• what new insights you have gained,
• what questions you have,
• and more.

I am mixing my metaphors when I compare this secret sauce to a bicycle touring group. If you are travelling 370 kilometres together, some are accomplished cyclists, and others have not been on a bike since elementary school. And yet, they ride together, no one pulling too far ahead, and others working hard so they are not left behind. Along the way, you chat, pointing out sights, helping with tricky bits, and so forth.

The secret sauce of a community of one, two, or more works well.

 

What to do

It goes without saying that you begin reading the Bible. Here are some resources to help you on your way:

A Bible:

Read a good translation of the Bible in the ‘language of your heart.’ For me, that is English. I usually read the New International Version (NIV), although there are lots of other good English translations. If you are more comfortable in a language other than English, there are good translations in almost all of those languages. Check with me if you have trouble finding one in your preferred language. 

Reading Guide:

Here is the link to the reading guide, which lays out the chapters to read and includes some general assistance for reading.

Reading Log:

It helps if you keep a record of your progress and some of your observations and questions. You can download this helpful little document using this link or design your own. Note the reference to S.P.E.C.K., which is explained in “Five questions for reading impact.”

Helpful Summaries:

Larger in-person groups usually meet every other week. After a simple lunch, there is some instruction on the past two weeks of reading, with ample opportunity for participation and questions. In your case, I have prepared ten brief posts for each segment of the journey, beginning with “A 10 Minute Tour of Genesis.” These summaries are sandwiched between four posts to prepare you for this guided reading, and some concluding posts to point you toward what comes next.

Free Resources:

All these resources and posts are available at the “Historical Backbone of the Bible.” 

Write Me:

If you are a subscriber to living theology and would like to ask questions or share what you have discovered in this guided reading, you can contact me using this link.

 

Will you make this your New Year’s Resolution?

 

BACK TO He Is Making Everything New

Notes:

[1] According to the BBC, Mark Twain wrote this on January 1, 1863. David Robson, “Are New Year’s resolutions powerful or pointless?” BBC, January 2, 2022, accessed November 30, 2025.

[2] Martin Oscarsson, Per Carlbring, Gerhard Andersson, and Alexander Rozental, “A Large-Scale Experiment on New Year’s Resolutions: Approach-Oriented Goals Are More Successful than Avoidance-Oriented Goals,” PLOS ONE 15, no. 12 (December 9, 2020): e0234097, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097.

[3] Ed Stetzer, “Bible reading leads to spiritual growth,” October 1, 2011, accessed December 8, 2025, at  https://news.lifeway.com/2011/10/01/bible-reading-leads-to-spiritual-growth/.

Image credit: John B. MacDonald © 2025, in combination with prompts to generate this image using AI tools for illustrative purposes.