[Updated 1/2/19. Cleaned up some missing links and added a few more Bible reading plans for you to check out]
This year I have a goal of reading through the Bible.
I’ve been a church girl all of my life. Raised in a Christian family, went to a Christian school, and attended Christian camps.
Shoot. I’m even taking some seminary classes this year.
But I’ve never done it.
Sometime towards the end of 2014, I figured I just ought ‘ta buckle down and get’er done.
Being the perfectionist that I am, I made it my business to explore a variety of reading plans and also a variety of Bibles designed for year-long reading. I finally (after weeks of going in circles and driving myself crazy) decided on the One Year Chronological Bible (NLT).
I figured that since I’d already spent most of my life reading the Bible OUT of chronological order, that I’d give it a go to read it IN Chronological order.
Another reason I decided to read through the Bible was because I need the help with the discipline.
Yes. I struggle with discipline.
I convinced myself that if I had a plan with dates on it, my OCD, ADD, “SAD-self” wouldn’t be able to let myself fall too far behind.
I’ve had a few moments of slippage but overall I’ve been doing OK.
I’m sticking with it.
It’s a good feeling.
I’ve posted a few times on Instagram about my Bible reading adventures and I always get lots of people wanting to know what I’m reading, why I decided on my particular version or method, and what other ways there are to get through the Bible.
Well, how would I know? This is only my first time to do it.
So I jumped on my Facebook page and asked what other Bible reading plans my online pals have used.
And they told me! (THANKS ya’ll)
So I’ve taken those responses, done a little investigating, and come up with list of 20 ways you can read through the Bible.
If you are wired like me, you can look into all 20 (and maybe even explore a rabbit trail or two) but then pick one.
That’s it.
You just PICK.
Why?
Because no matter what, you will be reading the Bible, my friend.
That’s gotta count for something… regardless of the plan, version, or method.
According to BibleStudyTools.org, “statistics show that most people professing faith in Jesus have never completely read their Bible. Many people start reading the Bible but then become overwhelmed by the number of chapters (1,189) and verses (31,102) there are. However, most people don’t realize is that we can read the Bible in a year by reading fewer than four chapters a day. By dividing the Bible into 365 daily readings, your goal of reading the Bible in a year can easily be accomplished.”
So if you are like me and have never read through the Bible before or you have but want to try a fresh approach, take a look at the list below and find something you are willing to try!
Oh! And if you are well-versed (hee hee… get it?) in Bible reading strategies and I missed a plan, book, or method that exists out there somewhere… let me know! I’ll add it!
Blessings to you on your Bible-reading journey!
- Bible Gateway Reading Plans – Variety of Bible reading plans from 90 day to a full year, audio versions, chronological etc. This one has it all.
- She Reads Truth – A free year long reading plan on their website. You can even buy an app for your mobile device.
- Bible App -This app for your phone has a variety of plans and translations. Perfect to have when you are on the go.
- Chronological reading plan– Sometimes it’s easier to read through the Bible in the order it happened. This plan will chronologically take you through the Bible in one year.
- One Year Bible online – One Year Bible Online provides you with the ability to select your own start date.
- Navigators- Daily Walk– The book-at-a-time Bible reading plan takes you through the entire Bible in one year. It provides two readings for each day.
- Blue Letter Bible Reading Plan – Not only does BlueLetterBible.org have a great daily reading plan, it’s an AWESOME resource for studying the scriptures you read. I personally use BLB for deeper word studies, Biblical references, commentaries, and other theological resources.
- TheNavigators Reading Plans – This ministry shares the gospel of Jesus and helps people grow in their relationship with Him through discipleship. They offer three downloadable plans to make your journey through the Scriptures do-able in a year and meaningful for your spiritual growth. Choose the plan that offers what you hope to get out of your daily Bible reading.
- Joanna Weaver Bible Guide– With this plan, you enter the book of the Bible you want to start with and the date you want to start and you get a personalized reading guide.
- The Daily Reading Bible Plan– With this plan you go through the NT twice, the Psalms twice, and the rest of the OT once.
- YouVersion app– A free Bible on your phone, tablet, and computer.
- Daily Audio Bible app– Maybe it’s easier for you to listen rather than read. This one is for you!
- Back to the Bible Chronological Study– A variety of plans for you to choose.
- One Year Bible Online – The One Year® Bible Reading Plan consists of passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. This arrangement of Scripture brings variety and a fresh approach to each day’s reading while providing a clear understanding of the Bible’s larger message. They also have translations in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, and Chinese!
- The Bible in a Year by Charles Stanley– The plan schedules daily portions of Scripture for you in a unique, interesting, and compelling way.
- Bible Study Tools – Bible Study Tools makes it easy to read the Bible on a daily basis and also helps you by charting your reading progress online during the year. This means that you don’t have to wait until the New Year — you can start reading the Bible today! They have over 20 Bible reading plans so you can choose one that works right for you!.
- The One Year Bible by Tyndale – The best-selling One Year Bible, which helps you read the entire Bible in as little as 15 minutes a day.
- Own It 365-This yearlong plan takes you through the key stories of the Bible and their cross-references.
- Discipleship Journal Reading plan on You Version– By reading from four separate places in the Scriptures every day, you will get a better grasp of the unity of the Scriptures. And you can begin at any point of the year.
- JUST START READING! Did you know that 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week will get you the New Testament in one year?
Now, this list was originally only 20 ideas long but in my 2018 refresh of this post, I stumbled upon a few more and will add them here. You know… just so you have no excuse for not reading your Bible! 🙂
- Christianity.com – Bible reading plans in over 50 translations
- The Gospel Coalition – Apparently, I’m not the only person who goes in search of Bible reading plans! In this blog post by Melissa Krueger, she details the results of her own search. She went on a hunt for a reading plan that was 5 dayweek withwith hopes of finding one that was psuedo-chronological (check out her blog post for what she meant by that). After searching a variety of websites, she came across a favorite.
- Ligonier Ministries – Ligonier Ministries was founded by the great theologian R.C. Sproul and exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. Check out the compiled a list of Bible reading plans for you to choose from here!
- Bible Study Tools – Bible Study Tools makes it easy to read the Bible on a daily basis and also helps you by charting your reading progress online during the year. This means that you don’t have to wait until the New Year — you can start reading the Bible today! They have over 20 Bible reading plans so you can choose one that works right for you!
- Bible Plan – These plans help you read through the entire Bible in a year in just 20 mins a day. Sign up to receive free daily email reminders containing links to that day’s reading. Each Bible reading plan is available in many languages and translations.
- Change Your Life Daily– Online journals to use as you read through the Bible.
I adore the Bible app by YouVersion.com ! Besides reading plans they have partial reading plans – if you want to focus on say, the New Testament or a particular book of the Bible. They also provide devotional and topic based studies. And no matter your preferred Bible version – its probably available through this app. (I promise I am not a paid spokesperson for them. Just a happy user)
Beckey
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I love that app!
Bible pathway was the one I used to read thru the bible in one year. It only takes 15 minute a day, with designated chapters for each day, a summary and reflection question.
http://www.biblepathway.org
Very timely post..Need the reminder to get busy
Awesome. I’ll revise the post to include this one soon!
What an awesome adventure in store for you in the Word!
Love these ideas! My favorite is the Daily Audio Bible. I completed listening to the whole bible last year with this and I’m doing it again this year. I love how it’s an easy way to hear the whole Bible (even with kids) and once going through the whole Bible you start to understand the big picture better.
So true. The big picture makes such a difference in how I understand the Word
Thanks! I happened to struggle with reading and so far looking at this and knowing i am not the only one helps and is super encouraging 🙂
Greetings. Feel free to read when convenient…
And I’ll tell you what I’ve told some of your family members in so many words. Thank you for being the “living epistle.”
As for the reading methods and plans, I can only share my experience. At an interesting crossroads in my life, when I was younger in the Lord, it occurred to me I didn’t want anyone else reading the Word for me since nobody would be answering for me, so I got a New King James (I was still too jaded by dead religion) and I went cover-to-cover in three days. That was my first round. Too much info in one sitting, but I sensed something changed, starting with a hunger for more.
That was in ’91. A few more rounds, then came the study materials to back it up.
A year later I started driving a tractor-trailer rig for a living. I’d gotten the New Testament on tape, but I tore them up in 6 months. Still studying, I bought my first full set in 2001, during another crossroads I didn’t handle too well, but I did start cycling through the whole book, cover to cover…
It’s 2015. I’m once again at Job 32. I lost count of how many times, so as not to turn that into a fetish or snare. My friend told me years ago, “Scott, don’t get so tied up in the book that you forget the Author.” He’s right about it. But the Lord knew before I did that I was going to need what we used to say on the streets…”the uncut stuff.” For that matter, I’ve lost interest in a lot of otherwise interesting things, in order that I may gain a better relationship with the Lord, and a more excellent offering, details of which may have put a target on my back, but so be it.
Personally, I like everything about Blue Letter Bible…except their Audio KJV. The reader sounds like he’s struggling with it sometimes, and I never thought background music to be necessary, but this soundtrack just doesn’t work. I have “perfect pitch” so I have had to train my ears to not hear certain things. My wife has even had to call me on that. It’s unsettling for me, however nice a problem that is to have…
I hope you find what you’re looking for. But from what I’ve seen of you and your family, you should have no trouble “diving in.” The Lord honor you for your faithfulness to Him….
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. So wonderful that you’ve been so committed for so long to reading through the Word!
A commitment with more yield than I expected, and I see you’ve since embarked on the same journey. I’ll forward my statement on that thread from your latest podcast. OK (Numbers 6:24-26)…
I decided to read through the whole Bible this year too – in chronological order as well! I do so with the YouVersion app (love it!) and the chronological Bible reading plan they offer. To my own surprise I am actually on track. Although there were a few instances where I missed a day but thankfully I was able to catch up. I’ll be sure to return to this post at the end of the year to choose a new plan for next year.
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I want to recommend Mission119.org, as well. They have a Bible reading plan that takes you through the entire Bible in 99 weeks. It is called Know the Word. You can him on website, as well as, the app you can download from Google play and iTunes.
I am a week late but I think I will try the 21 day #fatdemon challenge.
Thanks for the podcast and encouragement.
Yes! Join us for the challenge…
Did anyone find a journal or a book used to take notes while reading through the bible in a year? If so, I would love to hear about what resources you found to be the best.
I started reading through Tyndale’s chronological bible in one year at the beginning of this year. So it was great to read this. Reading was going fine, although I had some slippage at times I was able to get back on track. I found it rather frustrating how often reading a book of the bible produced a question that threw me for a while & left me struggling with God to sort it out. That definitely wasn’t what I had in mind would happen when I started reading, but I found myself more often confused by something that a superficial reading of didn’t seem to fit with the God I knew than I did encouraged by the word. When I worked through those bits with God, I found that the bits I initially found harshest & that I most struggled to see as loving, often became the bits that deep down were actually the most about grace. I think it’s pretty easy to misunderstand what God’s grace looks like and to not be able to identify God’s grace when it comes in forms we don’t expect.
Unfortunately this spring I got very ill and week after week for months, I had some days where I could keep no food or water down. I have an underlying disabling health condition and was having some nasty medication reactions whilst the doctors tried to find the right medications to put me on. Being that sick, weak, tired, nauseous and sore every week for months left me with no spare energy & not enough ability to focus to keep reading the one year chronological bible. Now that those side effects are gone and the right meds have been found. I’m still struggling to get back to the one year chronological bible study because of how far behind I am now. I’m reading the proverbs 31 daily devotional & max lucado’s daily podcast, but I’m struggling to get back into study where I’ve fallen really behind.
Do you have any advice for how to get back into a routine after life circumstances have interrupted & destroyed the routine you used to have? I live with pain (that can be severe at times even on strong painkillers), fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, occasional headaches and numbness in my limbs that comes & goes, so it’s possible that my routine for bible reading could get disrupted again on a bad day even once I’ve re-established one, which has also been making it harder for me to be motivated to create a new routine.
Thanks & blessings,
Miriam
Miriam,
Thanks for sharing! Your desire for consistency is wonderful. I’ve found that the best trick for getting back into a routine is… starting the routine again! I know it sounds silly but there is no greater builder for routine than doing what worked before until the habit takes root again. I think that the greater issue is that we don’t beat ourselves up for losing our routine or rhythm — so much so — that we don’t attempt to rebuild routine again. The key in the Christian life is to keep pushing ahead. I’m sorry that you are struggling with illness but your desire to draw near to the Lord will not be wasted or in vain. I’ve started using the chronological Bible and simply writing the year next to the passage of Scripture I’ve covered. This way, if I miss a large passage of Scripture because of “life”, I can just pick up on the next date and fill in the blanks next year 🙂 Either that or just read it in chronological order and ignore the dates. Progress is better than perfection.
Thanks Chrystal, absolutely re not beating ourselves up for losing out routine or rhythm – I definitely sometimes struggle to cut myself enough slack in areas like this one. You make a good point about doing what worked before to re-establish a routine that’s slipped. I’m also wondering about re-analysing how much I’m trying to take on in terms of bible reading – sometimes less is more when it comes to building a habit that sticks. Maybe with where I’m at now in my life, it’d be easier to start with a gentler routine than 30 mins or so of bible reading every day being a starting point. I started with 5 daily bible studies on weekdays, 3 daily bible studies on weekends and additional bible studies that I did as and sometimes additional ones when I wanted something else to dip into on YouVersion, so I’m thinking maybe I should just focus on 1-2 instead whilst re-introducing this habit and go from there. Thanks, your encouragement that my desire to draw near to the Lord will not be wasted or in vain is much appreciated. That’s a fab idea re writing the year next to the passage of scripture thanks, I may just have to borrow that idea! Definitely re progress is better than perfection.
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Thanks for posting Chrystal. I am currently trying to get through the Bible in a year myself. The dailiness is challenging, but I am using a Bible app called Dwell (apple store only :/), where you listen to the Bible and it sends you reminders to listen everyday. About half way through now, you should check it out. It’s awesome, since I can listen, while I drive, I really have no excuses!!
I also use a website called Deep Spirituality for topical bible studies to help me grow. Another awesome resource you should check out and consider posting for readers – https://deepspirituality.net/
Keep up the great work 🙂
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