Editor’s Note: Thank you to Alex Tran for hosting these plans on his blog! He also has other plans you can check out as well here.
For even more plans, check out: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/bible-reading-plans/
First off, there is no “You Have to Read the Bible in a Year” rule that Christians must follow. The hope is that all Christians build a regular rhythm of being in God’s presence and in His Word. The intention behind that idea is good, but it can be a daunting obstacle and result in a high failure rate.
That leads us to the second point: there is no one right Bible study plan. Instead, we are asking God to reveal Himself to us every time we open the Scriptures, and in faith, we go to Him daily, asking for more of His grace so that we might enjoy Him more and more.
So where do we start, especially if we haven’t been in the Bible-reading zone?
Just like you wouldn’t start running a marathon after not exercising for a year, you can’t jump into a “Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year-in-Chronological-Order” plan and expect to come out unscathed after 2 Chronicles. Or maybe even Leviticus.
Start small but still have a goal. Once you finish a few of these Bible reading plans, you might get a taste for more.
1. Pick A Book Of The Bible
A great place to start is Mark, which is a look at Jesus’ ministry (and the shortest of the Gospel books), Another is Genesis, which contains many of the stories you already know (and some you don’t), and so much of the Bible refers back to passages in this book.
2. Bible Highlights Reading Plan
- Survey Bible Reading Plan: 61 Days
- Tour of the Bible: 90 days or 180 Days Guided Tour
These Bible reading plans give you highlights from all 66 books of the Bible. If you’ve never read the Bible all the way through before (or even if you have), this is a great way for you to get a taste of each book.
3. 5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan
This is an excellent plan to read through the entire New Testament in a year. Put together by the Navigators, it gives you 5 passages a week , so you can arrange to get the weekends off. This is a solid way to help build a habit of reading. Plus, the PDF can fold as a handy booklet that you can store inside your Bible.
Remember, skipping a day or two isn’t the end of the world. God gives us grace, so don’t feel like you have to make up any reading. Just read one day’s worth for each day, and keep going.