YOU GOT MY ATTENTION
Thirty five years ago God gave a struggling theology student a simple way to keep studying while still spending time with and growing closer to the One he was called to know and to serve.
"How could anyone dry up spiritually while studying, preparing, writing, composing and learning all they can about the God of Creation?"
Good question! And that is exactly why I began to seek God while pursuing a degree in Theology in 1977. "Everything I’m doing is about You and for You and in the interest of knowing You better…so why do I feel so distant?"
"That’s right. Everything you are doing is ‘about’ Me. And I know all ‘about’ you. But that just makes us accurate reporters or chroniclers of one another’s lives. What I long to know is ‘you’…not ‘about’ you. And if you truly want to know ‘Me’ and not just ‘about’ Me then you need to listen up."
He had my attention.
"If you’re meeting with a noted author next week and you would like to get to know ‘about’ him, you could read his biography. But if you were interested in ‘knowing’ him in preparation for your meeting, what would you do?"
"I guess I’d read what he wrote. But I’m already reading what You wrote."
"No, you’re not. You’re studying what I wrote. Studying is to get to know the material better for an upcoming assessment. Reading is for enjoyment, for ‘living’ and ‘experiencing’ what is written. I’ll give you another tip. If you really want to get to the heart of this author you’re meeting with…then be prepared to quote something he said and ask him for a deeper insight, or just question what he meant. Get the point?"
"Of course, I do. And as usual, You’re right. But how?"
"Can you read one page?"
"Yes, I believe I can squeeze that in. But what’s that got…"
"Reading and listening," He gently interrupted, "have one thing in common: you can’t do either while talking."
So I made a quality decision to shut up and listen.
And that’s pretty much how that original conversation got started. From there God showed me how to divide up His Word into Sections and even showed me a bookmark technique (now patented) for indicating the next page to read.
HIDDEN BENEFITS
Back then it was called ‘OnePage A Day’. The reason being that one page a day could be read from each of eight sections. This turned out to be a five-month joy ride through the Bible…and a bit unrealistic. So one to three sections per day eventually became the norm (including an occasional zero). But the name was catchy and remained.
Even though God knew the miraculous advantages of this process, I only learned them over time. One of those advantages is that there is no daily requirement. That didn’t matter so much to me at the time but later I realized that I was just enjoying God’s Word without the constant pressure of a schedule or deadline. And of course the guilt of missing a day and the stress of making up for those missed days was not something I missed at all.
I also found out that the ‘section-jumping’ kept things interesting…there was always something new.
Then I found out that I was spending twice as much time in the New Testament than other folks following any other reading plan.
Then I found that I was gaining new insights and revelation from what I was reading since I was ignoring the chapter breaks. They are certainly helpful in locating scripture but they were not included in the original (except for a few of the ‘poetic’ books). Moses and Isaiah for instance did not write in ‘chapters’.
Then I realized that I was not exercising any discipline to pick up my Bible (partly because I knew if I did I was only committed to one page) but I was having to discipline myself to stop at the end of the page (another motivation to come back). What a way to live!
Then I started to hear sermons on the passage I just read on Thursday…and the scripture I read that morning someone just happened to mention…and I found myself reading Isaiah 53 the same day it was quoted in Matthew 8 …and Mark 11:21,22 the same day as Zechariah 4:6,7…well, you get the idea. If you’re reading the Bible with any system (except cover to cover) you will find ‘coincidences’ like these but not every day…or at least two or three times a week. Something about The OnePage Solution I was finding out, was unique.
Then I realized that without outside direction and assignments I could switch to just reading the New Testament any time I wanted. Nothing is lost by putting the Old Testament sections on hold while I read only the New Testament sections for a time. When the need (preference) arises I just integrate the first five sections back into the ‘rotation’. I love this plan!
Then I discovered, with just a minor adjustment (pretty much automatic) that I was reading Psalms and Proverbs continually.
THE NEW ONEPAGE SOLUTION
Is it a one-year plan? Well, no. It’s much better than that. It’s for life!
In my 35 years of reading I’ve been through the Bible 14 or 15 times (actually 20-plus times through the New Testament) and I’ve never found any reason to quit. If you’ve ever struggled through a one-year marathon you know you have plenty of reasons to quit…exhaustion being one of them. But then maybe you’re more disciplined than me and breezed through that year. But did you ever have to make up a day or two…or three or four? If not, I congratulate you…but what did you do the next year?
If anyone is using any idea or program to get through the Bible I applaud them. God’s Word is its own reward according to Hebrews 11:6. So keep up the good work and maybe give The OnePage Solution a try sometime. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Enough sales pitch. Here’s the real news: THE ONEPAGE SOLUTION is changing!
I mentioned spending 3-4 times more reading days in the Old Testament than in the New. Well, that is true no matter how you read God’s Word…except for The OnePage Solution of course. With The OnePage Solution your time in the New Testament is nearly doubled (i.e., a change in ratio of OT to NT from 3:1 to 1.6:1…my math-smart kids tell me that 1.5:1 would be exactly double).
Now with THE NEW OnePage Solution your time in the New Testament is nearly tripled. The ratio of OT to NT is now 1.25:1 or almost equal. Sorry about all the statistics, and I have no complaint with the Old Testament. But if I can get every syllable of God’s infallible Word in me in abundance while spending increased (triple) time reading about God’s Christ and His mission, purpose and teaching as well as the exciting revelation of the New Covenant, then count me in!