"...abide in my word..."
by Pastor Garth Gaddy
When you read this it will be January 1st. I'm not a fan of "new year's resolutions" but every year at the beginning of the year I consider changing Bible reading plans. Some years I have done better than others, some have a been a failure to keep on track. But as for choices, this year it's a cornucopia. Nate Bingham on ligonier.org has posted a comprehensive set of Bible reading plans. My suggestion is pick one that you find interesting and fits your pace and lifestyle, but above all...pick one. If one of the plans below interests you let me know and I can email (garth@graceofthevalley.org) it to you or get you a hard copy.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
1. 52 Week Bible Reading Plan: Bible in a year, each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.
2. 5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan: New Testament in a year, Monday to Friday.
3. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.
4. The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan: Four daily readings beginning in Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.
5. ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan: Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.
6. Every Word in the Bible: Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.
7. Historical Bible Reading Plan: The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel’s Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.
8. Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan: Read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.
9. Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan: Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
10. Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan: Two readings each day; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.
11. The Legacy Reading Plan: This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.
12. Two-Year Bible Reading Plan: Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.