Reading the Bible is one of the most important tasks a Christian can (and should) engage in every day. The Bible is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16) and is our defense against the world, the flesh, and the Devil. It corrects our thinking by revealing to us the very mind of God, and apart from it even a sincere Christian is vulnerable error and deceit.
But how do we develop the habit? After all, its a big book, and it can be a daunting task.
Or, perhaps you have been reading it and have found yourself in a rut going straight through the Genesis-to-Revelation cycle yet again. (By the way, don't let that kind of feeling discourage you - we're only human, and still subject to the weaknesses of the flesh).
Read on for some ideas on how to approach the task of daily reading from God's word!
Pages Per Day
One way to approach reading the Bible is to tackle it head-on, starting in Genesis and working through to Revelation. But if you feel overwhelmed by the task, break it down into bite-sized pieces. Commit to reading ten pages a day. For the average reader, that can easily be done in less than 30 minutes, even if you are reading the extra notes provided in a study Bible. Assuming you are reading from a study Bible, most of which are approximately 1,000 pages, you could read the entire Bible cover-to-cover in about six months. That would be even less time if you read a plain copy of the Bible without any study notes. Does that sound like too much? Go for five pages a day, and give yourself a year to finish. Or work even quicker by reading a plain copy of the Bible that does not include study notes - those are generally in the 300-400 page range.
Time Per Day
If counting pages doesn't appeal to you, try a set amount of time per day. You could use a timer to make it even easier. How much time is up to you, but 20-30 minutes a day would be manageable for most people. If that's too much, go to 10 minutes. If you're really enjoying your reading one day, or you're already an avid reader, then you could bump up the time to forty-five minutes, an hour, or more! Unlike counting pages, going by time permits you the freedom to slow down your reading and savor God's word on days when the Lord is illuminating something for you, or speed up a little when you hit some of the drier portions, like the genealogies.
50/50
When things start to feel stagnant for me, I like to mix it up a little. One thing I have done is read five pages from the Old Testament and fives pages from the New Testament each day. This generally permits me to get through the Old Testament once in the year, and the New Testament about three-and-a-half times in the year.
Chronological
Reading through chronologically can give you a fresh perspective on Scripture, although doing so with a standard Bible can be a chore. There are Bibles available that are already arranged chronologically for this purpose. I am also fond of Robert Sargent's chronological arrangement of the gospels since he places the texts side-by-side. It shed a lot of light on certain parallel passages for me!
Read Aloud
Silent reading is a relatively new phenomena; for most of history Scripture was read aloud. Try it out. Not only does it slow you down and force you to think about your your reading a little more (which is especially good on those days when your thoughts are determined to wander), but it might also spark a conversation with someone who overhears you reading if you're in place around other people. Just don't be a jerk about it - sitting in the break room at work bellowing out Psalm 119 in your best Shakespearean stage voice may be an ineffective way to "take up your cross" (Luke 9:23).
Follow Along
Sometimes hearing someone else read - with his or her voice inflection - can be a great way to freshen things up. Likewise, this is a great approach for those who aren't fond of reading to begin with. Alexander Scourby is the gold standard, and readily available for free on YouTube both as on-demand audio and live-streaming, or as free downloads categorized by book and chapter at the website Earnestly Contending for the Faith . There is also the audio feature on the YouVersion Bible app, the free audio Bible app or downloads from Faith Comes by Hearing, and an audio Bible narrated by James Earl Jones (although I must admit I found that one disappointing).
Start Small
If reading your Bible through still feels daunting, start small. Get some victories by reading some of the little books first, like Titus, Colossians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I John, or Ruth. Once you start stacking up the number of Bible books that you've read, you'll get some encouragement and momentum, and things will start to feel easier.
Alphabetical
Have you tried the approaches above and you're still feeling in a rut? Here's a wild one: read the books of the Bible alphabetically. I'll admit that this one was far from being my favorite approach, but it did add some novelty during a time when I needed it.
Those are some of the approaches I have tried. Have you tried other things that have been successful? Feel free to share your ideas in the comment section below!
A Closing Word of Encouragement
Whether you are a brand-new believer or you have been an ardent Bible reader for decades, we all face the same obstacles. Our salvation does not remove our old sin nature, nor does it bypass the weakness of our flesh. It is important to keep this in mind when it comes to developing and maintaining the habit of daily Bible reading, because you will have bad days.
Sam Gipp (who suggests the ten-pages-per-day method) offers the following word of encouragement that has been a blessing to me, and I trust it will be for you too:
"Beware! There will be days that you read and don't feel like you 'got' anything. There will be days when the reading seems 'dry' such as the first nine chapters of I Chronicles. There will be days when you are extremely busy. There will be whole passages that you don't understand. NONE of these circumstances are valid reasons to quit reading. If you can continue to read ten pages a day under the conditions mentioned above, you will have passed one of the greatest tests of character known to man. Remember, besides the dry days, you will have days when that Book gently settles your heart and mind. You will have days when you learn new truths. And perhaps most importantly, you will get to know your God and Savior in a most personal way."
Scripture is the very sustenance of the believer (Job 23:12). You eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, don't you? Chances are, you probably don't "feel" the nutritional value taking effect during or after your meal. Yet it is happening, and you know you need that food every day in order to keep your physical body healthy. Your spiritual body is no different in that sense - it needs daily sustenance to stay healthy, but that sustenance is spiritual, and found only in God's word. And just like your physical food, there may circumstances that cause you to miss a spiritual meal, but that doesn't mean you get discouraged and stop eating altogether, does it? Quite the contrary - you eat the first chance you get!
So what are you waiting for? Go get something to eat!
Thru the Bible in 30 days! Difficult, but worth doing at least once!