How are you doing on your Bible reading for 2011? Even though we are half way through the first month (in fact, only about 95% of 2011 remains), and despite the fact that some have already given up on their resolution to read the Bible through in 2011, it is not too late to develop a thoughtful plan for reading and becoming more familiar with the word of God during the coming year. To help you with this goal, most of this week’s blogs will be devoted to sharing some ideas and resources for effective Bible reading.
Many Christians want to read the Bible more, but lack either the plan or the motivation, or simply fail to find the time to do so. When Christians resolve (usually at the beginning of a New Year) to read through the entire Bible or New Testament, it is customary to begin in either Genesis or Matthew. Many quickly bog down. This is especially true of those who begin in Genesis when they hit Leviticus! (This observation gives rise to my theory that Genesis and Matthew are probably among the most read books of the Bible.) Consider some of the different ways one can approach Bible reading.
First, the Bible reading plan I use most. Generally, I try to read the entire Bible through every year. From year to year, I use different translations. The approach I have found most effective for me for reading the entire Bible each year is to put a Bible reading guide in my Bible and check off the sections I read, regardless of the reason for my reading.
Second, How many pages? How many days? Another easy way to schedule and track Bible reading is to take the number of pages and divide by the number of days. From time to time, I read the New Testament through monthly. In one of my favorite Bibles, this requires reading 10 pages each day. (I use weekends to catch up if needed.) Several times, I have succeeded in reading through the New Testament 12 times during a calendar year.
This (pages/days) is the approach I am using in my current Bible reading project. About mid-November, after returning from the Pan-American Lectureship in Honduras, I decided it would be a good project to read the entire New Testament in Spanish. (I had completed my 2010 Bible reading in June, using the first plan I describe above.) I discovered that reading my Spanish New Testament in a month would require only about 15 pages per day (467 divided by 30). I thought that was perhaps possible, and certainly I would finish by the end of the year. While I have almost completed the project (two months later), I am still reading, mostly because of the words I have looked up in my dictionary and because of my detours and rabbit trails (not to mention holidays and a week out of the country for missions). I hope to complete the reading by the end of this week–expect a report that the task has been finished!
Incidentally, this plan can also be used for shorter reading projects such as reading the Bible or the New Testament through in 90 days.
Third, number of chapters divided by number of days. This is an especially good plan for reading the Psalms or the Proverbs. A quick division shows that reading five Psalms daily, or one chapter in Proverbs will reach the goal. Some have read the New Testament through in year by reading only five days a week (5 days x 52 weeks = 260). Happily, 260 is also the number of chapters in the New Testament. (One can use weekends for catching up or for other reading.)
During the coming week, I will share some other Bible reading plans and resources. What have you found helpful in your Bible reading?