Bible Reading Plan

Plan now to begin the New Year in God's Word!  If you don't have a plan to read, you're planning not to read.

I've found that reading the Bible through over a two-year period can be "just about right."  That is, the pace is swift enough to allow one to keep both the beginning and the end in mind, yet slow enough to allow some reflection on what the Lord has to say.  On this plan you'll read two chapters most days, and only one on weekend days.  All in all, about 15 minutes a day will do it.  But beware:  anything and everything will compete for your attention in those precious minutes.  So guard them.  And match them with daily prayer, so you can enjoy a rich spiritual conversation with the Lord!

Click HERE to download the 2014-2015 Bible Reading Plan.
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Digital Bible, Pros and Cons

What do you gain when you use an electronic Bible for personal devotions, Bible study, or with the gathered church during the sermon?  And what do you lose? 

Clearly one gains convenience—not so bulky, and not all that fanning through pages.  In addition, you can find things quickly, whether it’s the text at hand or cross references or other linked resources.  And further, although our digital devices may fail, data backup means the texts, images, videos, and programs we value can live another day.  Considerable plusses.

But frankly, I’m more impressed by the advantages of the printed page.  The big plus, as I see it, is the ease of personalizing a physi­cal Bible.  I bought my Bible in 1976 (for the youth among us, yes, the glaciers had just receded that year…)—it was recommended for “New Testament History” by the Prof my first year at Bethel College.  That Bible has since been rebound three times, and today the binding is faltering yet more; some pages are thin or tattered around the edges.

But when it comes to Bible study or counseling or conversations about Christianity or preaching or teaching or personal communion with the God Who Speaks, my old Bible is the first tool I grab.  Of course, I have other Bibles (in various English translations).  And I also seek to access Scripture in its original lang­uages.  But my “good old” Bible still comes first.

Over the years I’ve added all sorts of brief notes, cross references, codes, and highlighting of every kind (circles, lines, arrows, colors, boxes…).  And over time I’ve developed a “relationship” with the format of these now-yellowing pages:  I can see the layout of chapters; I can visualize certain key passages, and that helps me find them.  Yes, there’s the danger of losing my Bible (I’m concerned about that).  But still, I’d be hard-pressed to overstate the value to me, and to others I serve, of having my one primary printed copy of God’s Holy Word.

The last year I taught at Wheaton College (2005), I assigned students in one class to write a short paper about the electronic Bible.  They were especially to identify any subtle gains or losses accom­panying this technology, and then make an argument in favor of one or the other—printed or digital Bible.  Results:  the vast majority (and note, these were 18- to 22-year-olds) said they wanted their bound book Bibles:  way too much would be sacrificed by relinquishing their familiar, personalized, printed copies of God’s Word.

That, of course, was in a pre-iPhone/iPad age.  The use of such mobile devices is on the rise these days, to be sure.  A recent experience with an adult class at my church revealed that at least half of those present, when encouraged to look up a Scripture passage, did so on their phones.  The digital revolution continues to extend its reach into our lives.  And I’m happy to restate this point:  there are many advantages to using electronic tools for accessing Scripture.

But I end with a word of caution:  be careful what you give up when you choose new tools to access the Bible.  The gains do not come to us without losses.  Let’s ask God to help us be “wise as serpents” (Matt 10:16) when it comes to the handling of his Word.

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Read the Bible in 2012

I've found, from my own mixed experience, that if I don't plan to read the Bible, I'm basically planning not to read the Bible.  So I put together a Two-Year Plan for 2012-2013.  The two-year pace is very do-able.  I've set it up so you read one chapter each day on the weekends, and two a day during the week.  If you start in and stick to it for 30 days, you'll build a habit that lasts.

I appreciate John Piper's words of wisdom about the need to plan--to prepare in advance so that we're ready to face spiritual challenges that will come.  Planning to be in God's Word is right at the heart of this.

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Plan to read the Bible

I've always found that if I don't have a plan to follow, my Bible reading practice wanders and fizzles and falls apart. You too?

Some years back I came up with a two-year schedule for reading God's Word cover to cover. A two-year pace seems (to me) to work really well: slow enough to allow you to breathe and reflect a bit as you go, but fast enough to get through the Bible without taking "forever."

The way it works you read a chapter a day on the weekends, and two chapters each weekday. I've laid it out so there's some movement back and forth between the Old and New Testaments along the way. We've posted the reading plan for 2011-2012 at our church's website--click here if you're interested.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

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Read the Bible in Two Years

I just began again with a two-year Bible reading plan. I don't know about you, but I really benefit from the structure of a plan/schedule for regular Bible reading. Otherwise I end up wandering and fizzling out. Here's a two-year schedule I developed: click here.
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Soul Food

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, ESV).

“More to be desired are they [i.e., God’s words] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

The Word of God is a priceless gift we have in our hands: do you cherish it? Do you go to the Scriptures for soul food? Do you study and meditate, do you listen to the Lord and respond in prayer? Is the Bible sweet to you—is it treasure? There is more to the Christian life than joyfully diligent Bible study, but never less!

Satan is always at work tempting us to bypass God’s Word:

• "There’s no time for serious Bible study in my schedule"
• "I’m no scholar—it’s too hard to understand"
• "The Bible doesn’t inspire me—it’s not relevant to my life"

Satan has a lot of lies, those are just a few. And people fall for them! I hope you don’t. You make time for food, right? Skipping the Bible leads to spiritual starvation. The daily news is relevant, right? How much more pertinent to your life and eternal joy is the news of God’s greatness and grace?

The bottom line is that authentic Christianity involves trusting in Christ—we’re saved by faith (Eph 2:8-10). How is faith gener­ated and sustained? “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Reading and wrestling with the Bible is how we grow in faith; as we spend time with Jesus Christ via the pages of Scripture, the Lord arouses faith / trust / devotion in our hearts. By contrast, failing to dig deep in God’s Word and study it carefully destroys faith.

Let’s be candid: Does the Bible receive your undivided, eager attention on a regular basis, and are you involved in groups or classes that help you dig deep into the treasure of Scripture? Or are you walking away from Christ? It’s one or the other.

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