Can we really read through the Bible in a year, actually enjoy it, and grow from it? Yes, of course we can. We can easily do even more than that. A great way to read through the Bible is to use a flexible reading checklist with reading and listening times.

But first I suggest we need to get two key items straight in our hearts and minds.

The first key to success is realizing that the Bible is not just any wisdom book to be ritually read through. It is a book unique in its origin and importance. It is a Word, the Word, from God. There is nothing else like it in the world. (See Got Questions article on why I should believe the Bible.)

The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. (1 Peter)

The second key to success is realizing that the Bible is actually not that long. It often just looks that way in the way it is published. Some claim it can be read in 55 hours on the fast side.  That is just a little more time than it takes to read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series written for children. And given that there are only 52 weeks in a year, anyone can read the Bible by taking a little more than one hour out of the 168 hours we have each week. We suggest taking more time than this to get a better and understanding and suggest at minimum a “whole” 2 or 3 hours each week. That really isn’t that much is it?

Most people however, often committed Christians, don’t read through the Bible. One of the problems for some of us is the typical Bible reading plan approach where the reader follows a pre-scripted reading plan  Why does this failure of ours occur even if it is one of the very few things in life we are guaranteed will be worth it?  

• We portray everything in the Bible as equal value and the reader gets lost in the weeds of the Old Testament.
• We fail to see the big picture and lose interest trudging along to someone else’s plan.
• We end up randomly reading what we like here and there not tracking where they are going.

The flexible Bible reading checklist is an approach to that try’s to solve these problems.  This is why it works:

• • We read all of scripture but not all the same amount and we encourage listening. There is something to be gleaned from every part of the Bible. We should unequivocally never shy away from the so-called difficult parts, but it is all not of equal value to us. We try our best to give proper weight or importance to each part of scripture. We read through or listen to the Gospels three times, the Epistles twice, most of the wisdom literature twice or more, and the history and prophecy books once. 
  • We encourage rotating between the different parts of Bible. The Bible is interlocking and only partially linear. We have found it very helpful to rotate between the four sections of the Bible: History, Prophecy, Gospel, & Epistles. It is easy to forget the big picture and get only a partial view of the truth of God’s plan of redemption. In rotating sections, we can keep better perspective. 
  • We allow for and encourage flexibility, but we track where we have been and know where we are going. A lot of people rebel against following a plan and just read what they want. We believe reading what you are interested in is great and should be encouraged. It helps us desire to love the Word of God, but only reading what you want over time it can stunt our growth because we tend to read what we want to hear. We don’t necessarily always read what we need to hear on our volition.

Start Now! Put aside three hours a week in a way that fits your schedule. Download the tracking spread sheet attached. Start by reading Matthew and listening to Genesis, check off when you are done, and keep going switching back and forth between sections! Send us an email at prayer@aquietwater.com if you need some help. Again, reading the Bible is one of the few things in life guaranteed to be worthwhile. 

Bible Reading FlexSheet with Listen&Read Times

Doug

The words of British poet Robert Abrahams say it well, “For some men die by shrapnel, And some go down in flames, But most men perish inch by inch, In play at little games.”  Our goal is to identify the little games and put a stop to them and put the right weight on the right things.