Reading the Bible is a great thing. People should consider reading their Bibles more than they do. But there are many ways to approach the Bible. Which is the best way? Many people desire to read through the whole Bible. Reading through the whole Bible is something every Christian should do. Many of the people who want to read the whole Bible want to do it in one year. Consequently, there is often a search made for a good Bible reading plan. People who make this search are not disappointed because there are many plans available, and these plans differ considerably. But the problem arises more than occasionally that when a suitable plan is found and begun, it is abandoned after a short while. The problem encountered can be that it is too time-consuming or too boring or some other issue that makes continuing the plan undesirable. So the next year, the search is on again for a better Bible reading plan. After this cycle happens for a few years in a row, the idea is given up altogether. There are others, however, who slug their way through the plan they’ve chosen and finish it, but find that the experience was less than inspirational. Is there a solution to this dilemma? Is there a “best” Bible reading plan out there for everyone? My contention is that there is. And also, this best Bible reading plan is guaranteed to succeed if it is followed correctly. I want to share this best Bible reading plan with you because I believe it will help you read your Bible more and better so that you receive a blessing from your time invested in reading God’s word. There are four components to this best Bible reading plan, and every component is indispensable.
The first component is: Begin with prayer. We need God’s help to continue reading the Bible and to understand it. Starting without prayer is beginning on the wrong foot and sets us up for failure. You can begin with any prayer asking God to help you and speak to you from his word, but I want to suggest a specific prayer found in the Bible itself.
“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Psalm 119:33-37)
This prayer sets us off on the right path. It will focus our hearts on why we’re reading the Bible and opens us to hearing from God. Write it down and put it in your Bible as a bookmark. If we begin here, we’re halfway to success before we even start reading.
The second component is: Design your own custom Bible reading plan. This is where this Bible reading plan is unique and is the foundational component of the plan. There is no single one size fits all Bible reading plan. Did that sink in? There is no single one-size-fits Bible reading plan. People are different in so many ways. Some of the plans out there may work fairly well for you, but it’s probably not just right for you, either. Whatever your experience is, you can probably find a better plan that fits you.
Some may be asking themselves at this point, “How do I design a custom Bible reading plan? How do I know what’s best for me?” Some of this is going to be trial and error, but the best way to begin is to ask yourself three questions. The first question is, “How much and how often do I read the Bible?” You want your Bible reading plan to increase what you now read, but not so much that you design in failure. If a person does not read the Bible much or at all, trying to read ten chapters a day is a prescription for defeat. The key is to find the balance between making it challenging but also allowing it to be achievable.
The second question is, “Am I a reader?” Most people are readers at some level, but what level? Do you read a lot and enjoy reading? If you are an avid reader, you can probably sustain larger blocks of reading at once. But you still want to take into your heart what you read. Some people do not read much at all. That’s ok if you are not a reader. There is no right or wrong here. But non-readers do have a challenge. God gave us a book. We must read God’s book! There are audio apps available that read the Bible to you. Or you can read very short passages each day. I suggest doing some of both. Get your eyes and your heart on some smaller passages so that God can speak to you better.
The third question is, “What is my schedule?” How busy are you? If you are a very busy person, then you’ll have to read smaller passages each day. You want to carve out time in your schedule and sacrifice to do so but do not overload your schedule so that you can’t sustain it. Also, don’t rush through your daily reading just to check off your plan. Rushed reading seldom penetrates the heart.
So, find a Bible reading plan out there that looks good to you and redesign it to fit you based on how you answered the three questions. If you can’t find one you like, design one from scratch. The main thing is to get a Bible reading plan that fits your unique needs and abilities.
The third component is: If or when you get off track, get back on as soon as possible. Most people will get off track from time to time for a number of reasons. Maybe situations or emergencies come up in life that requires your attention for an extended period of time. That can’t be helped. Get back on track as soon as you can. Don’t give up – persevere! You can get back on track. If you don’t finish in one year or some other time you’ve set, continue on until you finish. Reading the Bible is the main thing. Schedule some days of catch-up and rest; then, if you need them, you’ll have them. Be willing to adjust your Bible reading plan. This is so important! If you find you’ve designed too much, make the necessary adjustments. You can design some days of smaller passages and meditation. In fact, that’s a good idea for every Bible reading plan. The point is that we must stick with it. We are doing a great thing! We are encountering the living God on his word!
The fourth component is: Alway read to get something out of your time with God. Since you’ve made an effort to pray in component one, you’ll be looking for the message from God in the passage you’re reading. You may have read your text one hundred times, but you can still get something new from it. Even if the day’s reading seems to have nothing in it for you, God always has something to say to you. Look for the theme and main point of each passage. The more you read the Bible, the better you’ll be able to find the theme and main point of any and every passage. This is where you’ll find God’s message for you. Take the time to discover the good application from your passage, but it must be applied based on the passage you’re reading. The purpose of reading the Bible is to know and do God’s will. How does the passage point to the person and work of Jesus? Rich and meaningful insights and truth will come from this question. You may sometimes have to slow down and get off schedule to get what God wants to say to you, but that’s ok. It’s more important to hear from God than to check off your Bible reading for the day. The point is always to get something from your Bible reading. Don’t quit until you do.
If you follow this Bible reading plan, you won’t quit and can’t lose. You will meet God in his word every day. Over time your hunger for the word of God and the God of the word will grow. Your faith in God and your love for him will also grow. There may be some hard days, but God is with you. He loves you and has a plan for your life. You’ll find it as you meet with him in his word.