Every year at about this time, a lot of people start thinking about reading through the Bible in the year to come. In light of that, I would like to provide some resources, facts and Bible reading plans that will help you read through the Bible. Whether you are trying to read through in one year, or read through more than once, or read certain parts of the Bible, I hope the following will help you choose a plan that will allow you to please the Lord in your reading of His Word:
*The Bible (KJV) has a total of 1,189 chapters. 929 in the Old Testament. 260 in the New Testament. If you want to customize a reading plan, break out a calendar and a calculator and mark daily where you need to read in order to read through in one year.
*If you read 4 chapters each day you will read through the Bible in 298 days. You could then use the months of November and December to re-read certain books or sections. For example, if you finish the entire Bible in 298 days, you will have 67 more days left in the year. If you keep on reading 4 chapters per day you will re-read the New Testament. So, in one year, reading 4 chapters per day, you can read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice.
*Check this out. If you read 7 chapters per day, you could read through the entire Bible twice in one year. Watch out for Psalm 119, though. Its a big one!
*Maybe you feel like you have a solid working knowledge of the New Testament, but the Old Testament feels foreign to you. Well, remember, there are 929 chapters in the Old Testament, so if you read 4 chapters per night, you could read through the entire Old Testament in 233 days. By adding one more chapter per day, you could read through the OT in 185 days. Look at the math on that one. By reading 5 chapers in the Old Testament each day, you could read through the OT twice in one year and one extra week.
*Or maybe the opposite is true and you feel led to learn more about the New Testament. The New Testament has 260 chapters, so if you read 4 chapters each day, you could read through the entire NT in 65 days. That means you could read through the NT over 5 times in one year by reading 4 chapters each day.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you start if off with prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. If you approach this as a chore or a race or something to brag about you won’t really be successful. Remember that you are reading through God’s living Word. Don’t get caught up in legalism or competition. Making all of these calculations is intended to allow you to plan your reading. Not all acts of love have to be spontaneous or unplanned. Also, if you already have a devotional time, you may want to do this in addition to your devotions. Either way, if you view this as an act of devotion, you might just be shocked at the results.
~~Jason Queen, Sunday Night Pastor, Tree of Life Ministries
