I’m 25 for 25!
What’s that mean?
Simple, every day for the last 25 days, I’ve read the piece of the Bible I need to in order to complete my read through the Bible in one year plan.
If you’re not great at math, allow me to crunch those numbers for you.
I’m batting 1,000%.
If I played baseball, they’d be testing me for performance enhancing drugs right now.
If I was a cyclist, I’d be winning the Tour De France. By running up the mountains. With the bike strapped to my back.
If I was a business man, I’d be wearing jeans and a black mock turtle neck telling you how my new product with a lower case i just changed the world. Again.
I’m pretty much unstoppable when it comes to reading through the Bible in a year. But I have bumped into a serious dilemma. Is it a sin to talk trash about Bible reading? Can we get some sort of official ruling on that?
I’m running into that situation because I’m reading through the Bible with a group of guys in an online community. I’m tempted to talk trash and have three different scenarios I need to run by you:
1. Is it bad to comment, “First!” on a Bible reading plan?
The plan is set up so that every day, a new blog post tells us what to read. Then we all comment on the post, indicating we’ve read it that day. There’s only a handful of guys reading it, but I’m still a little tempted to post, “First!” that declaration of victory folks often post when they leave the first comment on a post before anyone else.
2. Is it bad to size up your competition in a Bible reading plan?
Within the first week, my friend Dino emerged as my number one threat to Bible reading dominance. He’s always beating me to the first comment or “parable pole position” if you will. I saw him in our office the other day and told him that despite his “gold medal” status it was a long season. We’re running a marathon, not a sprint Dino. Don’t exhaust yourself in Genesis. That book is a cakewalk compared to Leviticus.
3. Is it bad to just comment, “All I Do is Win?”
I try to write out thoughtful, honest reactions to the passages we are reading. But sometimes, particularly if I’ve beaten Dino to the first comment like I did this very morning or successfully made my way out of the “Job negative friend-o-rama” I am tempted at 7:15AM to proclaim, “All I Do is Win!”
The answer to all of those questions is probably “Yes, yes Jon Acuff, it is bad.” The Bible is about changing your heart, not competition. I agree, but to be honest, it’s been really encouraging and challenging to know that other guys are out there reading along with me and will hold me accountable to the commitment I made.
Even if they’re jealous of my 25 for 25 record! Haters gonna hate!
Have you ever bragged about your Bible reading skills?
Have you ever known someone who did?
