How do you read yours?

So Cadburys (the maker of cream eggs) are to be swallowed up by the American giant Kraft! Cadbury's cream eggs are a British institution, when I was a boy they appeared in the shops just before Easter, these days they are available from the beginning of January! Personally I don't like Cream eggs they are far too sweet and sickly for my savoury tooth. In recent years Cadburys have used the following advertising slogan in relation to cream eggs – "How do you eat yours" – the suggestion being that everyone eats them and the only question that needs to be asked in relation to them is "how"? Cadburys have even offered prizes to people for the most original methods of consumption.

Some people treat their bibles like a cream egg, they read it 'in season', i.e. they read it at special times of the year and then when they do read it they only read the 'sweet' bits. They avoid anything that might call to 'deeper consecration' or surrender. They ignore those verses that seek to correct a slack and apathetic approach to Christianity. When it comes to the bible the only question that really needs to be asked is "How do you read yours"? Every Christian ought to read the word of God on a daily basis and they ought to read it all not just bits and pieces.

If you've never gone through the whole bible in one year then you ought to do so. There are many good reading plans available on the Internet - 'The One Year Bible Online' is a good place to start. I've been using such a plan now for about 10 years and as a consequence I am more familiar with my bible than I have ever been. This year I decided to have a change.

The Salvation Soldier's Guide is a collection of bible readings for the morning and evening of every day in the year. The selected readings are particularly relevant to Salvationist's. There are 'morning' and 'evening' readings available and a very short reading for midday. Very often the readings are linked together and you will find them an excellent source of inspiration for sermons. The original readings were taken from the King James Version and very few copies of the original 'guide' are still around. This site contains links to the original readings but taken from the New International Version. This particular edition of the 'Guide' was compiled and edited by G S Railton (which for me at least always adds extra spice!)

If you have no bible reading plan I would heartily recommend the 'The Salvation Soldier's Guide' - if you already have a reading plan then the 'guide' is an excellent supplementary source of inspiration.

Grace and peace, A