It’s January 3 – you may already be behind in a new systematic approach to reading the Bible. No worries. Really – don’t fret over it. But do begin. If you need some direction, here is an updated post of a number of helpful Bible reading plans you can begin with.
I love reading through Scripture each year. If you are considering an annual trek through the Scriptures, you may find some of the other approaches linked here to be of use.
Here are a number of Bible reading plans:
Begin in Genesis and read about 4 chapters a day, 5 on Sunday. I forget where I first heard about this one, but it was the first plan I used years ago, and it proved very helpful.
Discipleship Journal Annual Plan. I’ve used this plan for about the past four years. It keeps you in the Gospels all year, the Old Testament writings all year, and also takes you through the rest of the Old Testament and New Testament within the year. I like staying in the Gospels throughout the year, meditating on the life of Christ in small portions, while moving more steadily and quickly through the rest of Scripture. The drawback is being in 4 different locations within the Bible each day. Some find it difficult to maintain the context of each section.
M’Cheyne Plan. This one has been around awhile and was made available by Robert Murray M’Cheyne. It takes you through the entire Bible in one year, with reading in the morning and in the evening.
Family Plan. This annual plan gives you a portion of the Scripture to read through for family devotions while also providing a section for your personal time of meditation in the Scriptures.
Shorter Plans. Shorter also implies greater intensity. I found these plan years ago through Jim Ellif (I think). I compiled them to use in a course on spiritual disciplines. The first takes you through the New Testament in 90 days. The second will get your through the NT in 60 days. The third will get you through the Old Testament in 180 days. Ellif’s article on “An Intimate Hour with God” is a great one for organizing an hour of daily devotional time.
Here is one I found (can’t remember where – I think I found it through Rick Warren) that takes you through the New Testament in 30 days (I really love this one).
Click HERE for a plan through the English Standard Version.
There are plenty more out there. Here are some links to recent articles regarding Bible reading plans:
Bible Reading Plans for 2012 – Justin Taylor – loads of good links and options here.
My Plan For Reading the Bible This Year – Denny Burk
Grant Horner’s Plan – innovative and for the highly motivated. I’m very much interested in this one and may take it up.
Bible Reading for 2012, and Why – Dan Phillips
My Bible Reading Plan for 2012 – Rick Holland
Read the Greek New Testament in One Year – Denny Burk
Regardless of what you choose, I encourage you to journey through the Scriptures annually and systematically.
