Simply Read: An 8-Day Bible Reading Challenge

The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible

When it comes to knowing our Savior, there’s no greater gift than the Bible—the very Word of God.

If this is true, then it follows that one of the biggest priorities for the Christian should be reading the Bible. Only there do we find the deep, abiding, saving truths that we need. Only there do we encounter our once-crucified yet forever-risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As John Piper notes in his book Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture,

By the most ordinary act, we can see the most wonderful reality. A surge of joy goes through me when I think about this. In that book, by the act of reading, I may see the glory of God. . . .

Do you want access to the riches of the glory of God in Christ? Do you want to “perceive” them (Eph. 3:4)? Do you want to know them (Eph. 1:18)? Do you want to be empowered by them “to comprehend . . . the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:16–19)?

Then, Paul says, read! Read what I have written. Or we may say, read the Bible.

What Is Simply Read?

It’s because of this conviction that we created Simply Read, an 8-day Bible reading challenge aimed at helping us set aside time—prolonged time—to immerse ourselves in God’s Word as we enter this holiday season.

Starting today, we hope you’ll join us for an 8-day journey through the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. The goal is that we each set aside about 30 minutes each day to engage with God’s Word and respond to him in prayer. And the end of 8 days, we’ll have read through the entirety of both books and (more importantly) caught a glimpse of the glory of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Beginning today and ending Sunday, December 10, 2017, we’ll post a new article linking to a free, downloadable PDF every day containing that day’s reading. Each PDF will contain everything you need for that day’s reading and is adapted from the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set.

Similar to the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set, all verse numbers, chapter numbers, footnotes, and most section headings have been removed from the biblical text—meaning there’s nothing to distract you from the most important thing you could do: simply read.

Find a Friend and Start Reading

A bit of encouragement before you embark on this challenge: don’t do it alone. Find a friend to read with you, perhaps even aloud. If you’re married, read with your spouse. If you have children, make reading together part of your daily routine. There’s even more joy to be had when reading God’s Word with someone else!

That’s the challenge. That’s the privilege.

What are you waiting for? Read Day 1.