Bible Reading Plans and Tools
We are flooded with a vast amount of ‘counsel’ washing into our lives each day. So, why read the Bible? Here are just a few reasons:
Reading God’s Word allows us time to slow down and focus on the promises of scripture enabling us to take a deep breath and apply its truths to our lives.
We also need to do it regularly. It is like stored energy. We can stay afloat throughout the day by making moment-by-moment withdrawals from the vast reservoir of spiritual fuel it provides.
Additionally, we gain wisdom by allowing our lives to be tweaked, taking prompt and fresh mid-course correction.
Daily bible reading deepens us theologically providing space for us to think more accurately about what matters most. We are also stirred to take action in concrete ways through the text: ways that might mess with us, change us a little bit, alter our outlook, and thus impel us forward in some new step of practical obedience externally because we have been changed a tiny bit internally.
Last, but not least, bible reading is a personal experience. After all, what other book do we read where we are conscious of the author interacting with us to such a degree?
Daily bible reading requires routine and structure, but it is not mechanical. Just as the body requires a bony skeleton, the skeleton does not give the body life. We do with the bible what we are guided to do: adore God, thank Him, complain, wrestle with Him, express perplexity, trust, and all the rest.
Here are some helpful websites as you dive into your study of God’s Word. (Several of these sites offer mobile/tablet apps which include reading/study plans as well.)
Here are several BIBLE READING PLANS. Click on the title to open as a PDF.
52 Week Bible Reading Plan (one year)
- Read through the Bible in a year, with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.
A Bible Reading Chart (self-paced)
- Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic, beautifully designed chart to track your reading.
Chronological Bible Reading Plan (one year)
- Read through the Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.
ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan (one year)
- Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.
Every Word in the Bible (three years)
- Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.
Historical Bible Reading Plan (one year)
- The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel’s Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.
Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan (one year)
- Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
The Legacy Reading Plan (one year)
- This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.
How To Read The Bible Book By Book (two year)
- Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.
