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Bible Reading Plans

Psalms 119:98-99

We speak to God in prayer; God speaks to us in His Word. Reading the scriptures regularly and comprehensively over a period of time is vital to personal spiritual growth and health. The following reading plans are very carefully organized to enable balanced and consistent reading through various sections of the bible. Several different plans are presented to accommodate different circumstances:

For long term regular bible reading, we recommend:
> MORNING: One Year Psalms Plan (~ 3 minutes/daily ; personal; repeat year-by-year)
> LUNCH: Monthly Proverbs Plan (~ 3 minutes/daily ; personal; repeat month-by-month)
> EVENING: Two Year OT/NT Plan (~10 minutes/weekday; family ; repeat always)

- If you need a solid dose of just the New Testament, try the "Six-Month New Testament Plan" (schedule is duplicated to accommodate starting at the beginning or middle of the year).

- If you have not read the Old Testament in a long time (or for the first time) and just want to concentrate on that, then the "One Year Old Testament Plan" is for you.

OT/NT plans follow a five-day-a-week, four-weeks-a-month schedule. These reading plans are designed to take you through the Old/New Testament with as little as six minutes of reading per day. This calendar representation will give you an idea of the reading schedule on a weekday basis:

2014_WK_SCHED_BRP_A

NOTE: Reading plan Comments/Dates/Authors are incomplete at this time; updates will be posted regularly until these items are complete and accurate.

1. All of the plans are tied to specific date ranges:
  •  If you are starting in the middle of a date range, do not delay, jump right in on the current day
  •  New date ranges will be posted as needed (usually in December for the coming year) 
2. Suggestions to avoid discouragement and enhance success:
  •  Always pray for the help of the Holy Spirit before reading
  •  God may not fill your heart at every reading, but He will honor faithfulness over time
  •  Try to read at consistently fixed times: during/after breakfast, lunch, dinner; before bed; etc.
  •  It may help to keep on track by listening to an audio version while following in your bible (see below)
  •  Threading the material through your eye-balls is better than nothing
  •  When you miss a day or two, spread the catchup over several days
  •  For Proverbs, always skip to current day - you will encounter the missed chapter next month
  •  For Psalms, if you miss too many to catchup, skip to current day - you will encounter them again
  • For weekday plans, make every effort ot catchup by the end of the weekend
  •  If you get too far behind, reset to the current day - otherwise, you will get discouraged and give up

 

3. Bible reading is more profitable when approached with thoughtful commitment:
  •  It should be regular/consistent (even if it is just a checkbox!)
  •  It should be balanced (healthy mix of Law, History, Prophets, Psalms, Wisdom, Gospels, Letters)
  •  It should be comprehensive over time ("the whole counsel of God" vs cherry-picking)
  •  It requires a measure of discipline (not just when you feel like it!)
  •  There will always be opposition from the usual culprits: the world, the flesh and the devil
  •  Internal distractions (dullness, anxiety, accusations, random thoughts, etc)
  •  External distractions (confusion, interruptions, busy-ness, etc)
  •  Plough through these oppositions in obedient faith for victory in Jesus! (Eph 6:10-20; 1Pe 5:8-11)

 

4. The various plan schedules were designed with these guidelines in mind:
  • Reading is only scheduled for weekdays - so you have the weekend to catch up
  •  Reading is only scheduled for the first four weeks of a month - so you have four free weeks a year
  •  The reading sections follow the inherent outline of biblical material, not just chapter divisions
  •  Some sections are grouped according to author or outlook (e.g., Mark/Peter, Matthew/Hebrews/James)
  •  For the OT/NT plan, sections alternate between Old Testament and New Testament
  •  For the New Testament material, sections alternate between Gospels and Letters
  •  Where possible, the sections try to maintain the same average reading time
  •  Where possible, the sections are organized chronoligically so you can follow historical connections (e.g., the Prophets)
  •  Where sections are complex or dense, the material is reduced to enable comprehension (e.g., Paul's letters)
  •  Where sections are tedious or repititious, the material is increased to avoid prolonged drudgery (e.g., geneaologies, Leviticus)
  •  Where sections are heavy or obscure, the material is increased to avoid prolonged gloom/perplexity (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel)

 

5. Suggested free audio versions:
6. Suggested for children: