Start this year off right: regularly read the Bible for yourself. You know that you need to… Perhaps you have tried before… Maybe you don’t know where to start. I’d like to help!
One of the first things you will need is a plan. Similar to having a plan when you walk into the gym, or head out on that run, or start a new eating habit, you need a plan. Waking up in the morning and letting the Bible fall open to a random place is typically NOT the best plan! Further, just reading a random “verse of the day” is not going to help you understand the deep truths of God’s Word in a way that will lead to long-term growth in the Lord.
Plans for where you are:
If you were to go to your preferred internet search engine and type in “Bible Reading Plans”, you will find a host of them. While you’ll not go too wrong in doing this, I thought it might be helpful to provide a couple of tips based on where you might be as you enter this year of Bible reading.
1. “I’m new to the Bible”
I’m so excited for you! Reading the Bible for yourself will open up the riches of Scripture in ways that you have not yet experienced. The goal at this point is to build the habit and get an overview of the big story of the Bible. Here is a plan that I’ve compiled to help you do that! Download it; print it; and get started! Or save it to your device of choice and get started!
2. “I’m familiar with the Bible”
Awesome. Maybe you’ve been in church, generally know the big ideas of the Bible, but you want to read it for yourself. I’ve made a plan that will hit most of the major genres (types of books) of the Bible and give you a really good understanding of the big story of the Bible. You will read most of the Bible without getting bogged down in some of the more difficult parts. Download it; print it; and get started! Or save it to your device of choice and get started!
3. “I’m Ready to Read the Whole Bible”
I’m so thankful you have decided to do this! Before I launch you into this, let me encourage you to slow down and consider a plan like #1 or #2 above if you’ve never done a plan like that. If you’re eager, you may finish one of those pretty quickly and then you can come back to these suggestions.
If you’re still ready to read the whole Bible, NOW might be the time for that internet search of “Bible Reading Plans”. However, I have done some of that work for you. Here are a few plans that have served me well over the years.
PABARI Plan. I literally just made up that acronym, but the plan served me well for many years and a few times through the Bible. It’s the “Pick a Book and Read It” Plan. There is no link to this because you just pick a book of the Bible and read it! There’s no need to overcomplicate things. I did this for years: “Hmmm, people seem to reference Romans a lot in sermons and Bible study, I should read that.” “Oh, the story of Abraham is in Genesis, I need to read that.” I literally did that until I had read most of the Bible marking in the Table of Contents of my Bible as I went. Eventually, I just had a few books left to read and I read those. Viola! I read the whole Bible! Give it a try!
Chronological Reading Plan. I LOVE this one and have done it a few times. It really helped me to get a better grasp on the Old Testament and how it all fit together. Note: The people who put this type of plan together are making some interpretations as to when things occurred- the folks at BLB do a good job in this one.
Navigators Book-at-a-Time. I’m literally finishing this one this year. I’ve enjoyed it. It takes you through entire books of the Bible and if you stay on their plan, you’ll read the entire Bible in a year. They even include a reflection/catch-up day once per week.
4. “I want to see more!”
Praise God! This is when Bible reading gets really fun and awe-inspiring! You will start to see how God’s story is beautifully woven together. You will see the complexity and the simplicity of the Word of God. You will “behold wondrous things out of [His] law.” (Ps. 119:18)
Slow down. Read the same book repeatedly. John MacArthur suggests reading the same book over and over for 30 days before moving to another book. While this will take you a long time to read the entire Bible, you will be amazed at the things you notice your tenth time through a book that you didn’t notice before. (You’ll also start to have the book memorized and be able to know the structure of the book.)
Speed up. Read the Bible as fast as you can. Perhaps you are on an extended vacation, a military deployment, or you’re getting knee surgery. Instead of watching 50 movies and binge watching that television series, see how quickly you can read the entire Bible. I had a friend do it in less than 70 days in one of these seasons. I once read all of Paul’s 13 letters on a 4-day work trip.
Read a Book in One Sitting. Have you ever read an entire book in one sitting? If you’ve read the whole Bible, I’m sure you’ve read Philemon, 3 John, or maybe even Jonah in one sitting. But have you ever read Ecclesiastes or Mark in one sitting? You might be amazed how reading a large chunk like this in one sitting will show you the main truths of the book. You could even take a morning or afternoon and read all of Genesis! (It would take you about 3.5 hours… you can do it!)
Professor Grant Horner Bible Reading System. Full disclosure, this is the only one in this article I haven’t personally done all the way through. I’ve just started this one and I’m really enjoying it already. This system is designed to help you see all the connections in the Bible and see how it all works together.
Two final thoughts
- Read the Bible. This post is to encourage you to read the Bible. I understand that most of you will have a lot of access to helpful books, study bibles, and commentaries. But that’s not to be the foundation- the Bible is. Read the Bible for yourself!
- Start small and let it grow. This morning, I spent about an hour reading the Bible before starting my day. And that’s a typical morning for me. But I’m a pastor who gets to do that, and I’ve been reading the Bible daily for 20 years. Start with 5 minutes a day in one of these plans. Start with one chapter a day. Start where you are. As you see the truths and the beauty of the Word of God, I am confident that it will grow over time. Get after it!
If you’re ready to get started a habit of regular Bible reading, but you’re not sure how, check out “How Do I Have a Quiet Time Anyway?”
I love you guys!
Brian O’Day
Brian O'Day 