A Bible Reading Lifestyle

It is absolutely vital to read the Bible for ourselves, to know what it actually says rather than what someone tells us that it says. The reality is that most Christians today in America have not read the entire Bible. Not only is it important to read the whole of scripture; I believe it is important to continue to read through the Bible year after year. It was for this purpose that I created my own Bible reading plan.

The format allows the entire Bible to be read in a single year, however, you should not approach this as a one-year Bible. The goal here is to be a reading plan that you can use as a guide for Bible study perpetually. This isn't a checkbox to be completed; it is a lifestyle to embrace.

I had tried many one year programs before, but a couple years ago I did something different. Instead of trying to hold myself to keeping up with the schedule, I used the plan as a guide for my study when I was able to do it. So instead of seeing where I left off, I simply looked up the current day and read what I had time to read. After a while, I found myself reading every day -- and I have been now for two and a half years.

You can download the reading plan here:

Every Day Reading Plan (foldable insert to put in your Bible)

Every Day Reading Plan by Month (each month is on its own page)

Every Day Reading Plan (New Testament and Psalms)

Feel free to share it with friends and family.

Why a new reading plan?

I set out to create my own version after using two other versions over the past couple years: a standard one year plan and a chronological plan. The experience was very enriching as I saw the value of seeing the whole picture, but I also saw some problems:

• The Gospels were presented back-to-back which got somewhat repetitive and also served to make me forgetful of what I read earlier in the year.
• Books that were related to each other were often separated (such as Luke and Acts) when they should really be read together as a whole.
• The chronological version was fascinating in putting things in context, but many portions became very repetitive, especially when virtually identical passages were recorded in multiple books (each of which were read back-to-back).

What I wanted was a plan that would combine some of the insight from the chronological reading while spreading important lessons throughout the year. Remember, the goal is for this to be a life-long reading plan. If I want to do more in-depth study, I can either add it to my reading plan or go back and forth according to my schedule. The purpose is to get into the Word of God and get a more full understanding of the whole of scripture.

As you read more and more from all of the Bible, the Holy Spirit can show you connections and insight that you would not have otherwise seen. You begin to understand more and more what is the heart of God. Ask Him to help teach you and open the scriptures to you with wisdom and understanding.