One of the most exciting parts of a new year is the thought of immersing yourself in the scriptures from a different perspective or through new study. One of the best habits I have been forming this year is following a Bible reading plan. Whether you’ve been reading the scriptures regularly or want to get started for the first time, there are countless resources to help you dig deeper into God’s Word every day.
BibleStudyTools.com shares, “Statistics show that the majority of people who profess faith in Jesus have never read their Bible in its entirety. Many people begin to read the Bible, but then find themselves overwhelmed by the number of chapters (1,189) and verses (31,102). What we don’t realize is that we can read the Bible in a year by reading less than four chapters a day.”
Today I will share some Bible reading plans to undertake.
The Biblical Summary
The Bible Summary was created by a ministry called D-Group (Discipleship Groups). What I love about Bible Recap is that there is a reading plan in the Bible App that tells you what to read each day. This particular plan goes in chronological order, which means the order in which each event took place. In addition, there is a podcast that accompanies the reading plan. You can listen to the short 8-minute podcast as a summary of your reading. The Podcast has reached number 2 in the most downloaded podcast in the world. The host is Tara-Leigh Cobble. She has read the Bible 10 times and gives a brief summary of what is happening in the scriptures in an relatable way. Her motto is: “He is where the joy is”. She will find great delight in seeking God and having a “God shot” for the day (ie, what He taught her about Himself).
To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit TheBibleRecap.com and check out the Bible reading plan on the Bible App and podcast on the go.
A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace
Daily Grace Co. is an amazing resource for women in particular. They provide Bible studies, podcasts, magazines, clothing, and more. One thing I love that they’re putting out this year is a Bible reading plan for 2022. The plan is called A year in the Bible with daily grace and can be found in the Bible App, as well as the podcast that goes with the study can be found anywhere there are podcasts. This plan is unique because the concept is the story of redemption. Every day there are about 3 chapters of the Bible to read and daily reflection questions. The podcast highlights the reading and how it fits into the story of salvation through Jesus. If the Bible in a year is too much for you right now, they also have shorter plans like a Lenten 2022 plan. The Daily Grace Co. was established in 2014 and shipped over a million Bible studies in 2021.
To learn more about The Daily Grace, visit TheDailyGraceCo.com and check out the Bible reading plan on the Bible App and podcast on the go.
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Bread is a ministry that has been reaching people around the world for over 75 years. They provide resources to help others connect with God through the Bible. They provide a daily devotional and have a Bible on a yearly basis that is unique in that it weaves together the Old and New Testament readings each day. This helps people stay connected to the Bible as a whole and gives us a break when we get to more detailed books. They also have a podcast to accompany the readings.
They share: “The ‘Bible in One Year’ feature can be found on Our Daily Bread Y My maxims for your highest devotional pages. Visit the sites at odb.org and utmost.org.”
The plan for a busy life
I smiled and laughed a little with joy when I saw this particular plan. I know that many of you reading this do not have enough time in a day to read the large portions of Scripture in a yearly Bible plan. However, there is another wonderful alternative that will still get you into the Word, Busy Life Plan. This can be found at BibleStudyTools.com. It doesn’t have a fancy podcast or anything complex. You can simply view the link or print the plan. The reading is only 1-2 chapters per day and it is over the course of 720 days (or 2 years) There is no shame in taking this pace or even making a longer plan. The point is to have time with God and read his Word.
For more Bible reading plans visit BibleStudyTools.com.
YouVersion Topical Plans
There are so many special times of the year that can lead us to want to study the current holidays or a specific topic related to us in a season. YouVersion is a wonderful resource for short lesson plans to go along with these. If you go to the app and click on the plans, there are many short week-long reading plans on topics like “Fruit of the Spirit”, “Getting Through Hard Times”, “Being Intentional in Marriage”, “Imperfect Parenting”. ” and “Sharing Your Faith”.
The beauty of a search bar is that we can type anything we’d like to explore and learn more about and then click plans to see what YouVersion has to offer. YouVersion’s mission is to “Encourage and challenge people to seek intimacy with God every day.” If you’re looking to do this and want some guidance, check out their app. They also have a Bible App for Kids now that you can get your little ones learning too.
To find out more about YouVersion, visit YouVersion.com or download the Bible App to your phone.
browsers
Navigators provide a Bible reading plan that you can start any day. Just start whenever you want and use this free download as a guide. The plan is similar to Our Daily Bread in that it provides readings from the Old and New Testaments each day. This unifies our hearts by seeing the Scriptures as one when we can often separate them into two parts. The entire Bible is one book with a Savior, Jesus. Los Navegantes is a discipleship ministry that has been in existence since 1933. Its mission is to “Know Christ, make him known, and help others do the same.”
book studies
So there is always a benefit to taking the time and really immersing yourself in book studies. There are 66 books of the Bible and it can be extremely beneficial to take time to study one book at a time. There are countless Bible studies by amazing authors on certain books of the Bible. My personal favorite teachers are Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Kelly Minter, and Jennie Allen. For the men, I recommend Tony Evans, Max Lucado, Billy Graham, and Matt Chandler. Visit Lifeway for more information.
Another wonderful program to consider is BSF (Bible Study Scholarship). This is an international ministry that is an amazing way to connect with others in your local community. BSF takes your Bible reading to a deeper level and appreciation of God’s Word.
Regardless of how you decide to delve into the Bible, time with God will never be wasted. Every effort we make to spend time with the Lord is a blessing. He is inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him. The Bible is a book of who our Savior Jesus is and how much He loves us. God has gone to great lengths to have a relationship with us. The least we can do is ask the Holy Spirit to help us meet the Father and learn more about who He is in the Bible. The journey through Scripture is a privilege that many who do not have Bibles in the world dream of having, that we never take for granted.