Surprisingly, not everyone who lives in a 'Christian' nation even owns a Bible anymore. Most people who do own a Bible have never really read it. A close friend of mine had once told me she had never read the Bible. Not long after, sadly, she quit attending church services.

As a small child, I had admired the only and beautiful picture in the little New Testament Bible my mother had given me. In the picture, a man was hugging his son and there were bright purple robes on them. My mother told me the story of the prodigal son. I reflected on that story quite a bit. Later, when I was twelve years old, I attended a church with my aunt and I was baptized, as were most of my peers at that age, during that summer vacation Bible class in the South. I enthusiastically asked my aunt what 'book of rules' we needed to obey in our church. She laughed, "There is no book of rules! God forgives all our sins when we are baptized."

I decided I would study the Bible and read it in whole. However, I could never seem to get past the first four chapters. I was a reader. I loved reading. But the Bible was SO LONG! It was overwhelming! Over the next seven years or so, I would occasionally try to read my Bible again. I would start from the beginning each time, and I pretty much had that part down! Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth (KJV).

I began to understand that the Bible is not just one book. It is sixty-six books! No wonder reading 'one' book could be so overwhelming! There are many good ways to read the Bible. But I wanted to read straight through from beginning to end. I formulated a plan. I would put my Bible next to my bed and I would read five chapters every night, no matter how long or short they might be. No matter how tired I might be, I would force myself to complete five chapters every night. It was working! Sometimes, I would read more, but I did not fail to read at least five chapters per night.

I began learning that a lot I'd grown up hearing and believing was in the Bible was inaccurate. Many things I'd thought the Bible said were just plain false! I was very happy when I completed reading Genesis--only sixty-five more books to go! But with God's help, I would keep plugging away.

One of my favorite movies is "The Ten Commandments". It's a great movie and reflects very well on what it might have been like in Moses' time. But sure enough, even that movie was not all scripturally accurate. How interesting it was to find out what was real and what was not. My reading of Exodus was soon completed.

I found the Bible was filled with exciting accounts of war, spies, murders, as well as extreme hope for mankind, among many other things. It took me about one year, but I finished reading the entire Bible. I learned that we do have a 'book of rules' so to speak--God's Holy Bible. I had come to a true repentence and I was baptized in the way God instructs, armed with the knowledge of what I was getting into. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever. KJV.

After I'd read the entire Bible, I've read it over and over again. It is so interesting, so much fun, full of drama and stories not usually told, and full of peace. After my second reading of the Bible, I was astounded to find that I had learned new knowledge that I had not 'caught' the first time. The Bible is a book like no other. It is truly a holy book from God. When we pray and ask God to help us understand the Bible, and we keep reading it, we keep gaining more understanding. I've now lost count of how many times I've read the Bible, but I hope that we will all keep reading it for all the days of our lives.

I'd enjoy hearing your story of when you first read the entire Bible. How old were you? How has it impacted your life?