What's Your Bible Reading Plan?

[Blue Moon]

I'm talking about Bible Reading, not Bible Study. I'm only talking about Bible reading - for pleasure, devotion, to get an overall picture of the Bible, etc. Again, I'm not talking about Bible study - in-depth or otherwise. Given this criteria, this topic may not apply to everyone because many may study small segments of Scripture daily, and not have a reading plan.

 

Also, this thread is not meant to discuss Bible reading vs. Bible study - the merits or faults of either. I'm just simply curious, for those of you who have a Bible reading plan, to know what your plan is.

 

I use a variation of the M'Cheyne plan. I try to read one chapter of five lists a day totaling five chapters a day. List 1 is the Pentateuch & Proverbs. List 2 contains the History, Wisdom, & Poetry books minus Proverbs. List 3 contains all prophets - major and minor plus Revelation. List 4 contains the Gospels plus Acts. List 5 is all the Epistles.

 

I end up reading the Pentateuch & Proverbs in a little over 7 months.

History, Wisdom, & Poetry (minus Proverbs) in a little over 15 months.

Major & Minor Prophets and Revelation in a little over 9 months.

Gospels & Acts in a little under 4 months.

Epistles in a little over 4 months.

 

When I finish one list, I start that list over. This way I'll almost never be reading the same set of chapters consecutively. This is similar to Professor Horner's Bible Reading Plan.

 

Ends up, I'll read the New Testament (minus Revelation) about three times a year, and most of the Old Testament at least once, and several parts twice.

 

So what do those of you who have a Bible reading plan do?

[alphaparticle]

I very much enjoyed doing the chronological reading plan. I am considering just up and doing a repeat of that again shortly actually, as I found it very illuminating.

[ayin jade]

My plan is pick it up and read. 

 

Basically I have no set schedule, no planned timeline of reading it. 

[OakWood]

I would say (especially if you're new):

 

Gospels first.

Then any which way you think suitable.

 

Genesis is an interesting start - you can continue chronologically if you wish.

 

Psalms and proverbs give interesting prayer thoughts and snippets of wisdom.

The Epistles (especially those of Paul) can broaden your knowledge of what Jesus taught.

 

You can probably skip some of the more obscure books or the heavy prophecy stuff until you have grown more in the faith. Revelation is scary reading for newcomers.

 

That's kind of how I do it, but I didn't study the Gospels first and I wish I had.

[other one]

I'm talking about Bible Reading, not Bible Study. I'm only talking about Bible reading - for pleasure, devotion, to get an overall picture of the Bible, etc. Again, I'm not talking about Bible study - in-depth or otherwise. Given this criteria, this topic may not apply to everyone because many may study small segments of Scripture daily, and not have a reading plan.

 

 

Just for general pleasure I, like Butero, listen to the Bible instead of reading....   my ears work better than my eyes.   I start with Matthew and go through Revelations and start over again......    every third cycle I drop back to Genesis and listen to the whole Bible.....      I did this for about 20 years while at Xerox covering most of South East Oklahoma where we would drive three to five thousand miles a month getting from one place to another for work.    I lost track of the number of times I've listened to the Bible.....    but I still enjoy listening to the KJV of the Bible.   Alexander Scorby has such a pleasant voice that listening calms my nerves.   And when you work all day with people who can't get their work done for the machine your company sold or leased to them isn't working, you need all the calm you can get.    Some of your best customers will  call your company and their machines all kinds of ugly names when you arrive, but if you can share your calmness, they are more likely hand shakes or hugs when you leave........     and after a while you run out of calm without finding ways to replenish it, and for me it was listening to Mr. Scorby reading my Lords message to me.

[Keith]

It depends on what my reason is for reading the Bible. 

 

One habit is to read through Psalms and Proverbs every month.  (Five Psalms and one Proverb daily.)  Cannot recommend this highly enough, regardless what your current Bible reading habits are, this should definitely be part of it.

 

If I'm reading to study, I pray and read what I feel prompted to and take my time, with a lot of prayer and (sometimes) fasting.

 

If I'm reading as part of my time spent with Him, ministering to Him, and just to worship Him, I can open the Bible to any page and there's always more than enough to worship Him for!  This is my favorite kind of reading - just opening the Bible to see and worship Him!

 

Two or three times a year, I'll set time aside for the purpose of just getting the Word inside me, to practice self-discipline, and cement my priorities of putting God first and having the rest of my day revolve around Him (and not vice verse).  To do this, I follow the plan below to read the Bible through in a month.  It's a 26 Day reading plan but I give myself 30 days in case things happen.  (And because I'm human and not perfect.)   The left side is Morning and the right side is Evening, but I'm not fussed about what time of day I read them.

 

[Blue Moon]

I'm waaaaayyy too slow a reader to read the Bible in 26 days. Not even if you gave me 30. 

 

I'll have to stick to my five chapter a day plan.

[Guest LadyC]

It depends on what my reason is for reading the Bible. 

 

One habit is to read through Psalms and Proverbs every month.  (Five Psalms and one Proverb daily.)  Cannot recommend this highly enough, regardless what your current Bible reading habits are, this should definitely be part of it.

 

If I'm reading to study, I pray and read what I feel prompted to and take my time, with a lot of prayer and (sometimes) fasting.

 

If I'm reading as part of my time spent with Him, ministering to Him, and just to worship Him, I can open the Bible to any page and there's always more than enough to worship Him for!  This is my favorite kind of reading - just opening the Bible to see and worship Him!

 

Two or three times a year, I'll set time aside for the purpose of just getting the Word inside me, to practice self-discipline, and cement my priorities of putting God first and having the rest of my day revolve around Him (and not vice verse).  To do this, I follow the plan below to read the Bible through in a month.  It's a 26 Day reading plan but I give myself 30 days in case things happen.  (And because I'm human and not perfect.)   The left side is Morning and the right side is Evening, but I'm not fussed about what time of day I read them.

 

!

 

oh my. a month? hey, i've read the bible through in 90 days three times... i can't even begin to imagine trying to do it in 30! i'd still do it chronologically though. that's my favorite method.

[Keith]

 

It depends on what my reason is for reading the Bible. 

 

One habit is to read through Psalms and Proverbs every month.  (Five Psalms and one Proverb daily.)  Cannot recommend this highly enough, regardless what your current Bible reading habits are, this should definitely be part of it.

 

If I'm reading to study, I pray and read what I feel prompted to and take my time, with a lot of prayer and (sometimes) fasting.

 

If I'm reading as part of my time spent with Him, ministering to Him, and just to worship Him, I can open the Bible to any page and there's always more than enough to worship Him for!  This is my favorite kind of reading - just opening the Bible to see and worship Him!

 

Two or three times a year, I'll set time aside for the purpose of just getting the Word inside me, to practice self-discipline, and cement my priorities of putting God first and having the rest of my day revolve around Him (and not vice verse).  To do this, I follow the plan below to read the Bible through in a month.  It's a 26 Day reading plan but I give myself 30 days in case things happen.  (And because I'm human and not perfect.)   The left side is Morning and the right side is Evening, but I'm not fussed about what time of day I read them.

 

!

 

oh my. a month? hey, i've read the bible through in 90 days three times... i can't even begin to imagine trying to do it in 30! i'd still do it chronologically though. that's my favorite method.

 

 

I'm sure it's not for everyone.  Being an avid reader, it works for me and I enjoy the discipline.  It's only two times a year, sometimes three. 

[Guest LadyC]

 

 

 

I'm sure it's not for everyone.  Being an avid reader, it works for me and I enjoy the discipline.  It's only two times a year, sometimes three. 

 

 

i understand the discipline thing. i'm not an avid reader these days (although i was when i was younger). but the 90 day reading plan for me was definitely an act of discipline. and it worked! i am very capable of completing it in 90 days. 89 the last time, actually, and i blogged my way through it. (interesting read if you ever want to see what i wrote). 

 

i've also learned that i'm very INcapable of the self discipline required to read the bible every day. i tried to slow down and read through in a year once. i got about quite a ways, but left off somewhere in acts i think.