2024 Bible Reading Plan

Every year for the past 10 years, I have created my own Bible Reading Plan. There are lots of good ready-made plans available online that are perfectly fine. I just get a thrill out of making assignments for myself and anyone else who wants to come along!

The first half of the year is a true “reading” plan (not a “study” plan) with no deep dives into passages. This plan is set up for reading on Monday through Friday, with weekends for catch-up. The year begins with the gospel of Mark, and then a reading of the Old Testament book of Job.

I have been wanting to read through the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, most of which Jewish boys in Jesus’ day had to memorize), so Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus will be next. I will be reading 10 chapters a week in a kind of “fly-over” to get the big picture. Numbers and Deuteronomy will be picked back up in the fall.

Past years have taught me to ease up a bit in the summer, so in July I will be doing a word study on peace (the third Fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23) and August will bring a look at the 12 Psalms written by Aseph (one of the Psalm writers). The year will wrap up with a reading of John’s letters (1 , 2, 3 John — not the Gospel of John).

May God bless the reading of His Word!

2023 Bible Reading Plan

After spending last year in a long, leisurely stroll through the Psalms, I’m anxious to get back into some New Testament books. I’ve made a loose plan for 2023. It looks something like this:

January 2 – April 7: James, studying 6-10 verses per week
April 9 – June 30: “Joy” word study
July 3 – September 8: Parables in Matthew
September 11 – November 24: 1 and 2 Samuel, reading 5 chapters per week
November 26 – December 31: Advent study, TBD

Plan for Joy — A Word Study
Key verse: “You will fill me with joy in Your presence.” Psalm 16:11

April 10 — Psalm 126
April 17 — John 16:20-24
April 24 — Philippians 1:3-6, 2:1-2
May 1 — Psalm 92:1-5, 12-15
May 8 — 1 Peter 1:3-9
May 15 — 1 Thessalonians 1:4-8
May 22 — 2 Corinthians 7:2-7
May 29 — 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
June 5 — Psalm 47
June 12 — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
June 19 — 3 John 1-4
June 26 — Psalm 98

2022 Bible Reading Plan

Scroll down a bit and you’ll see I’ve been posting a reading plan for several years. I need a plan. If I fail to plan, I can plan to fail. Sometimes I fail even with a plan. But if I fall off the track, which I seem to do every year around August, there is a place to hop back on when September rolls around. 

This year I’m doing something different. Instead of reading through books of the Bible or large portions of scripture, I’m going to do a word study. My word is “love” in the New Testament and “hesed” (a Hebrew word for love) in the Psalms. You can pick your own word, but the process is the same.

I typed the word “love” in the search bar on biblegateway.com and looked to see which books in the New Testament contained that word the most. The Gospel of John had the word “love” 39 times, 1 John had 26, Romans had 16, etc. I made a list of all the verses that had the word in it. Each day (Monday-Friday) I will copy down one of those verses and study it. I’ll read it in context and then write a few sentences about it. I’ll ask God to teach me about love.

The word “hesed” appears 129 times in the book of Psalms. I’m going to read through the Psalms this year, using Timothy Keller’s book “The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms”. Using blueletterbible.org, I’ll do some digging for meaning and read some commentary. Then I’ll pray that portion of Psalms back to God, just as they were originally intended. 

It’s not a complicated plan, but it offers a framework to work within. Other words you might consider could be: joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, generosity. There are lots of good words in the Bible! Pick one and squeeze every drop of goodness from it. Then move on to another one. Just keep taking in God’s Word on a regular basis to keep your soul nourished, your spirit refreshed, and your mind strengthened. 

2021 Bible Reading Plan

You are welcome to join me in following this plan for developing consistent personal Bible reading and study. This year I will be going through the first seven chapters of the book of Acts, the whole book of 2 Corinthians, the early years of David’s life as found in 1 Samuel 16-21, and several Psalms.

At the beginning of each week (preferably on Sunday) there is one chapter (or part of a chapter) to read. A passage of 10-12 verses is suggested for deeper study on Monday-Friday, taking 2 or 3 verses each day. Saturday is a catch up day.

     

2020 Bible Reading Plan

I need a plan.  If I fail to plan, I can plan to fail.  So I create a Bible reading plan each year to keep me on track. This year’s plan will take us through part of the gospel of John, Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the Old Testament historical account of Joshua, and several Psalms. 

At the beginning of each week (preferably on Sunday) there is one chapter (or part of a chapter) to read. A passage of 10-12 verses is suggested for deeper study on Monday-Friday, taking 2 or 3 verses each day. Saturday is a catch up day.    

The goal with this plan is to become consistent and disciplined in daily time with the Lord. It may seem complicated and labored at first, but once the habit is established, it will become a cherished part of your day. On weekdays, you may want to set aside 15 minutes with your Bible, a pen or pencil and a notebook. God will meet you there! You are welcome to read along with me this year!

For helpful tools to get the most out of your Bible reading, check out this 4 part series:

How to Have Bible Party, part 1
How to Have a Bible Party, part 2
How to Have a Bible Party, part 3
How to Have a Bible Party, part 4

May God bless the reading of His Word.

2019 Bible Reading Plan

When I go to a buffet, I like to scope it out before loading up my plate. I peruse the salad bar and the soup offerings. I check out the main entrees and sides, and, of course, eye up the dessert table. After this fly-over, I form my plan in order to make sure I have room for all the things I want to taste or indulge in. Without this big-picture approach, I may just dish up my old favorites and miss some new and exciting flavors.

Every five years or so, I sense a need to go back and recapture the grand sweep of the Bible. I much prefer the microscopic approach to study — choosing a small portion and burrowing down into it, squeezing out every bit of meaning and nuance. But from time to time, I feel the pull to step away from the microscope and lift my sights to the panoramic view.

This year’s plan is to read through the whole Bible.

I know it’s daunting.
I know it’s hard to push through Leviticus.
I know a year is a long time to stick with anything.

That’s why I’ve decided to try something different.

I’m going to read through the whole Bible in two months.
Thirty pages a day for 60 days.
I expect this fly-over will provide new taste experiences.
I know this landscape view will add valuable perspective.

Perhaps a 60 day gallop through the Good Book is not for you. Then let me challenge you to pick one book of the Bible you haven’t looked at for a while (or ever!) and read a chapter or two every day for two months.

In March, a reading plan will be available that will focus on the 2019 Lenten series.

(One year Bible reading plans can be found here.)

2018 Bible Reading Plan

I need a plan.  If I fail to plan, I can plan to fail.  So I create a Bible reading plan each year to keep me on track.

This year’s reading plan is going to be similar to last year’s plan. Instead of reading big chunks of scripture, we will slow down and go deeper into smaller passages each week. This plan is modeled after Anne Graham Lotz’s study method that helps us engage with the Word, not just read it and check it off our list.

This plan will take us through several Old and New Testament passages.

At the beginning of each week (preferably on Sunday) there is one chapter (or two) to read. A passage of 10-15 verses is suggested for deeper study on Monday-Friday, taking 2 or 3 verses each day. Saturday is a catch up day.    

The goal with this plan is to become consistent and disciplined in daily time with the Lord. It may seem complicated and labored at first, but once the habit is established, it will become a cherished part of your day. On weekdays, you may want to set aside 15 minutes with your Bible, a pen or pencil and a notebook. (See below for suggested study method.) God will meet you there! You are welcome to read along with me this year!

5 Step Bible Study Method

Step 1: Look at the passage — read over the 2-3 verses for the day. (Example: for the first week  in January we are studying Luke 2:41-52, so on Monday you could read verses 41-43;  on Tuesday, v. 44-45; Wednesday, v. 46-47; Thursday, v. 48-49; Friday, v. 50-52)

Step 2: List the facts — in your notebook, make a list of the facts in the passage. Don’t put it in your own words, but use actual words from the passage itself.

Step 3: Learn the lessons — look for a lesson to learn from each fact by asking: What are the people in the passage doing that I should be doing? Is there a command I should obey? A promise I should claim? A warning I should heed? An example I should follow? Focus on the spiritual lessons. Write down the lessons in your notebook.

Step 4: Listen to His voice — rephrase the lessons you found into questions you could ask yourself. Listen for God to communicate to you through His Word. Don’t rush. It may take you several minutes of prayerful meditation to discover meaningful lessons and hear God speaking to you. The object is not to get through it, but to develop a vibrant personal relationship with God. Write down the questions in your notebook.

Step 5: Live it out — record what God seems to be saying to you and your response to Him. How will you follow through in obedience?

Stick with it! It becomes second nature very quickly! (See example below.) God bless you as you seek to learn this simple yet effective method of reading His Word so that you might hear His voice speaking to you personally through it.

Example:

John 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.”

Step 1: Simply read the passage! (It’s always good to pray before reading – “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Word.” Psalm 119:18)

Step 2: List the facts. What does God’s Word say?

• This is my command
• Love each other

Step 3: Learn the lessons. What does God’s Word mean?

• Jesus has authority to make commands. I am under that authority.
• We are commanded to love each other. (Not encouraged, not suggested…)
• Sometimes we need to be told to love each other.
• Jesus was speaking to believers.
• There are no conditions on love for others.
• Jesus didn’t mention anything about feelings.
• We don’t need to be commanded to love our kids, so this commandment is for difficult people, people we might not choose to love.
• To love is an act of obedience.

Step 4: Listen to His voice. What does God’s Word mean to me?

• Do I consider His commands to be optional?
• Why does Jesus have to command me to love?
• Who do I need to love today?
• How can I do a better job of loving?
• Do I recognize that sometimes I am someone’s “difficult person” to love?
• Do I recognize that sometimes I am God’s “difficult person” to love?

Step 5: Live it out. How will I respond to God’s Word?

• I will pray for the Holy Spirit to fill me with love for others.
• I will reach out to someone at work today who I usually overlook.
• I will make an effort to express appreciation to someone I usually try to avoid.

(You don’t need to write “Step 1, Step 2,…” each time. You may prefer to make three columns in your notebook for recording your thoughts in steps 2, 3, 4, with room at the bottom to write how you will live it out. Feel free to tweak this to fit your style!