A new year has dawned. Each of us likely has hopes and expectations for the new year.
I pray that this year will be filled with abundant grace for the church and the households of believers, leading to growth in faith.
For this year, I believe the church’s primary focus should be growth through the Word.
In particular, I hope all believers will establish a grace-filled new year through reading the entire Bible. Many people make and carry out resolutions to read the Bible in a year.
However, we aim for reading through the entire Bible comprehensively.
The term tongdok combines tong (meaning "through" or "pierce") and dok (meaning "read"). It signifies reading without interruption, penetrating the entire text.
This is not merely about reading the Bible from cover to cover once.
Rather, it is about reading more systematically to grasp the overall context, understand the big picture of scripture, and comprehend God’s providence.

The purpose is this: to draw the Word of God closer to the center of my life.
Until now, the Word has often been on the periphery of my life.
With phrases like "when I have time," "next time," or "later," I kept the Word at the edges of my daily life. But now, I want the Word to become the center of my life.
When we read the Bible daily, we will gain great strength in our spiritual lives.
I hope all our believers will build this year as a year of grace by reading, meditating on, and being filled with God’s Word day by day.

 1.First, we must carefully listen to the proclamation of great truth.
Two fundamental truths concerning the Bible are proclaimed: those regarding its origin and its purpose. Where does the Bible come from? The origin of the Bible is God.
All scripture is God-breathed (v. 16). Without the written Word, we would have to search for God on our own—yet humans cannot find God by themselves.
The only way to know God is for God to reveal and make Himself known to us.
That is precisely what revelation is—the written Word. Through the written Word, God has shown us who He is. All scripture is inspired by God, conveying His mind and His will. That is why we call the Bible “the Word of God.”Then what is the purpose of the Bible? Why did God give us the Bible? He gave it for our benefit. The scriptures make us wise for salvation (v. 15). Through the Bible, we learn the wisdom that leads to salvation.
It is through believing and accepting the eternal plan of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to save us, that we obtain salvation and eternal life.
Through the Bible, we gain what is beneficial for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness—everything needed for living as God’s children. The happiness of believers comes from the Word of God. Because believers live regarding the Word as their closest friend, they must learn to delight in and fully savor the Word itself.
At times, joy can be found in a single verse; at other times, in a single word.
Within the Word there is happiness, joy, comfort that sustains us, and hope.
By drawing near to and becoming familiar with God’s Word above all else, believers can experience true happiness. May we gain vitality by savoring the grace of the Word and strive to make this a year of grace.

2 The best way to make this a year of grace is to draw near to the Word every day.

To build the new year on the Word, we must regard the Word as the greatest gift.
Today, because the Bible is so common, we often take it for granted and fail to recognize its preciousness. But there was a time when people longed for the Bible but could not have it. During the early missionary period in Korea, missionaries crossing the Amnok River border were sometimes searched by officials, and their Bibles were confiscated. At that time, it wasn’t the entire Bible but small booklets containing translations of the Gospels of Mark or Luke—yet those who read those Gospels and were transformed became the pioneers of the Korean church.
Even today, there are about 7,300 languages in the world, and the Bible has been translated into around 3,600 of them. More than half of the world’s languages still lack even a portion of the Bible, and translation efforts continue through organizations like the United Bible Societies. Considering this, the fact that we can own a Bible today is a tremendous blessing and grace. If we have taken the Bible for granted and neglected it until now, this year we must draw it closer to our lives by reading and meditating on the Word. To build the new year on the Word, we must learn from what we already know and stand firm in what we are convinced of (v. 14). True faith goes beyond mere knowledge—it involves hearing, understanding, and firmly holding to the gospel, living it out with conviction in our daily lives. Timothy learned the scriptures and faith from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois from childhood. He grew up nurtured by a rich spiritual heritage. This is especially important for families with children. Often, in matters of faith education, we may feel inadequate and hope that the church or teachers will take care of it. But faith education begins first and foremost with parents.It must take place in the home. From a young age, children should be raised in a spiritual atmosphere and environment so they can grow and walk faithfully in that path.
Though they learn from childhood, they must continue to deepen their understanding and conviction as they grow. A hallmark of a growing faith is a lifelong learner’s attitude.
However, when we think we already know everything, growth stagnates, and faith remains stagnant. We must maintain a posture of learning the Bible throughout our lives. When the church engages in Bible reading programs, strive to participate.
When Bible studies are offered, make an effort to attend actively.
That is how we grow. Always treasure and rejoice in being nourished by the Word.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.”

3 How do we put Bible reading into practice?

We know we should read the Bible, but sometimes we lack perseverance, feel short on time, or find it difficult and even tedious. Because of these struggles, many end up giving up. If you face such difficulties, seeking help from others can be good. However, the ultimate goal of reading through the Bible is to develop the ability to read it on your own. It begins with perseverance—committing to read a set portion every day.

The Bible consists of 1,189 chapters in total. To read it in a year, you need to read about three chapters a day (five chapters on Sundays). If you want to read through it twice in a year, aim for six chapters a day. But start with three chapters a day. Reading three chapters a day may seem easy, but it requires perseverance. Consistency is key—and this can be a great help.

Think of it like eating three meals a day: just as we nourish our bodies, we must also nourish our spirits. As it is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” If we diligently care for our physical nourishment but neglect spiritual nourishment, that is a serious matter.

When we repeat something, it becomes a habit. Believers should cultivate holy habits—spiritual habits of engaging with the Word and prayer. While reading through the Bible is something you can do on your own, it’s also helpful to seek various forms of support. You can mark your progress on a Bible reading plan, and the church will provide guidance for reading through the Bible. Understanding how different books of the Bible connect can deepen your comprehension, and you can seek resources to help with that.

Although you can do it alone, having a partner can be very encouraging. Reading together as a couple or partnering with another believer in the church to encourage each other are excellent approaches. If there are parts of the Bible you don’t understand, don’t struggle alone—search online for insights, and you’ll find plenty of help. In short, if your heart is willing, there are many ways to make it happen.

Conclusion

We must remember that reading the Bible—and reading it through—is not optional but essential.

The purpose of reading through the Bible is first to gain a proper understanding of its overall context, allowing us to learn new insights and wisdom. Second, it is to enable us to live with a tangible awareness of God’s mighty hand at work amid the culture, news, and changes of this world. As scripture says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We draw near to the Bible to cultivate the wisdom and faith needed to discern rather than conform to this age.

Finally, we do this because we are naturally prone to laziness. If we are not alert in the Word, we can unknowingly become captive to worldly thinking. Who can guide our souls on the right path? Who will care enough to keep our souls from straying, and to whom can we entrust them? Only God’s Word can lead our souls to life. For our souls to truly live spiritually, we must draw near to His Word.

This year, above all else, I hope we will wholeheartedly commit ourselves to drawing near to the Word. May we all make this a year overflowing with grace.