If we’re going to get to know God better and grow in our faith, then we need to be reading the Bible. In my opinion, we should make reading the Bible a priority each day, not just on days when we have extra time or on days leading up to holidays like Christmas and Easter.
The Bible doesn’t provide specific instructions regarding our reading of it (e.g., whether to use a print or digital format, what version to read, how much to read each day), so we have some latitude regarding our approaches. I know some folks who just plop their Bibles down on a table and begin reading wherever they open. They may learn a lot from their readings each day, but a chance approach like this means they may never read the whole Bible. I think it’s important that we read the Bible in its entirety, so I like to take an organized approach.
Most years I use a reading plan. I typically use one that helps me read through the Bible in one year, though I have used one that spreads the readings out over two years. If you’d like to take an organized approach to your Bible reading this year, then there’s a plan for you!
Bible reading plans
- Genesis to Revelation reading plan. When using this plan, readers read through the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 in 365 days. Readers will read approximately 3-4 chapters each day in order to complete the plan in one year. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Busy-life reading plan. Like the Genesis to Revelation plan, this plan guides readers through the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. However, unlike the 356-day plan, this plan spreads the readings out over two years. Readers will read approximately 1-2 chapters each day. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Stay-on-track reading plan. This one-year plan guides readers from Genesis to Revelation by spreading the readings over five days of each week. This allows readers to catch up or get ahead during the other two days (presumably the weekend). Readers will read approximately 5 chapters each day. Click here to see a breakdown of the readings.
- Old and New Testament reading plan. Instead of reading through the entire Old Testament before beginning the New Testament, the Old and New Testament reading plan guides readers through the Old and New Testaments simultaneously (Genesis to Malachi and Matthew to Revelation). Readers will read approximately 2-3 Old Testament chapters and ½-1 New Testament chapter each day. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Old and New Testament plus a Psalm or Proverb reading plan. Like the Old and New Testament reading plan, this plan helps readers progress through the Old and New Testaments simultaneously. However, while reading through the Old Testament, readers will not read the Psalms or Proverbs because a small portion from these is included in the daily readings. Readers will read approximately 2-3 Old Testament chapters, ½-1 New Testament chapter, and a few verses from the Psalms or Proverbs each day. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Chronological reading plan. As with many of these other plans, this plan guides readers through the entire Bible in one year. However, with this plan, readers read through the books of the Bible in chronological order instead of canonical order (Genesis to Revelation). Readers will read approximately 3-4 chapters each day, starting with the books of the Old Testament and ending with the books of the New Testament. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Genre reading plan. This one-year plan guides readers through the entire Bible by having them read a different genre each day (Gospels on Saturday, Epistles on Sunday, The Law on Monday, History on Tuesday, etc.). Readers will read approximately 2-5 chapters each day. Click here to see a breakdown of the daily readings.
- Daily Bibles. A daily Bible, such as a One Year® Bible by Tyndale or a Once-A-Day Bible by Zondervan, is a reading plan and Bible in one package. They come in a variety of versions (e.g., NIV, NLT, ESV, NKJV) and formats (i.e., canonical, chronological). Readers will read approximately 3-4 chapters each day, though this varies because some daily Bibles are designed so the readings can be spread over 2 or 3 year periods instead of the traditional 1 year period.
The plans listed above seem to be the ones that are most commonly used. There are several others available, though. I’ve listed a few of these below. In order to keep this post from being excessively long, I’m not going to provide the details on these. However, you can click the names to see the details of the plans.
- Genesis to Revelation plus a Psalm or Proverb in two years
- M‘Cheyne’s Reading Plan
- Legacy Reading Plan
- KINGDOM Bible Reading Plan
- Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System
- Bible Eater Reading Plan
One valuable thing I’ve learned as I’ve used reading plans is not to get discouraged if I get behind. It’s critical that we’re in the Word, even if it takes a while to progress through the whole Bible. I’ll even go as far as saying that having a quality reading of Scripture each day is more important than reading a large quantity each day. If this means you only get through one or two verses today, then that’s okay. Just keep reading and do so with a humble, sensitive heart.
Do you use a Bible reading plan? If so, which do you use? What do you like about it?
