Patrick Henry If I could offer one piece of advice to all of humanity, it would be this. Read the Bible. Read the entire Bible. If you are a believer, then this is an obvious consideration. If you are convinced that the God of the universe is real, and we have a book, accepted now for centuries as revelation of His existence and work, then you might want to read it. Few Christians do this. If you are a non-believer (atheist or agnostic, or perhaps have a different belief system), then I would challenge you to read the Bible anyway. You might want to know more just in case this God and Jesus stuff is real.
At this time of year, with many contemplating New Year’s resolutions, I would encourage you to read through the Bible. Reading through the entire Bible might be considered a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be. It can be easy – easy like Sunday morning.
What follows is the Bulletproof Bible Reading method. If you apply these suggestions, you will easily read through the Bible in one year, or less, guaranteed!
Read the New Testament first. Begin reading in the New Testament. W hen finished with the New Testament, go on to the Old Testament. This will allow you to get off to a solid start and gain momentum. If you begin in the Old Testament, you may stall out in the harder books, like Leviticus or Numbers, and quit before Groundhog’s Day. If time allows, after finishing the Old Testament, you might consider reading the New Testament again, for a full lap through the Bible and a heavy dose of the scripture.
Read Monday through Friday. Do your regular reading Monday – Friday and use weekends to catch up or read ahead. This will give you some flexibility, without the stress of a rigid schedule.
Count your pages. Commit to reading a certain number of pages most days. Decide when you want to finish your read-through and count the total number of pages you need to read. Then do the math and determine how many pages you need to read each day to meet your goal (adjust this as needed). Most people can easily get through the entire Bible in one year reading about 4 to 6 pages a day (approx. 20 minutes), five days a week.
Make a habit of reading at a set time. It will be easier to stay disciplined if you read at a designated time each day (e.g. – read before bed each night, or first thing when you wake up, or during your lunch break). You might also read at other times to make faster progress but keep your daily scheduled time.
Don’t stop reading. When reading, if you have questions or want to better understand something, make a note, and come back to it later. Don’t interrupt your regular reading. Think of your reading as a foundation for all other Bible learning and do in-depth study at another time.
Accountability is important. To complete your reading successfully, you will need to be held accountable. One easy way to do this is to email or text one or more of your slew foot friends on a regular basis to keep them posted on your progress. Give them permission to hold you accountable.
To make your reading more meaningful, learn something about the specific book you will be reading. For example, before beginning the book of Matthew, read a commentary introduction or study outline of Matthew. You can also watch YouTube videos that offer brief interesting Bible commentaries. Taking a few minutes to learn more about the book you will be reading will greatly enhance your experience and help you better ingest, digest, and enjoy scripture.
Use a TEXT Bible for your daily reading. Do not use a study Bible for your read- through. It will be easier to read pages without the extra notes found in a study Bible (text Bibles have no added notes or references). These extras can be a distraction and slow your reading. Also, a text Bible is thinner and much less intimidating to read through than a thick study Bible. And do not read using a smart phone or other electronic device. Using a real Bible (one that you can feel and hold in your hands) gives you a visual and tactile advantage, allowing you to see and feel your progress. You can watch your bookmark move each day. You lose that in an electronic format. A text Bible with large print and standard two-column format will enable you to read at a faster pace, helping maintain momentum.
Here’s another tip. Do not write in your reading Bible. Clean pages without markings or underlining will foster faster reading. Use a clean Bible for your read-through and write in your study Bible.
The Bulletproof Bible Reading method is not a plan. It is a simple way to read through your Bible. With most Bible reading plans, you have a schedule that plots your course. If you miss a day or more and fall behind schedule (and you will), you then have to go back and make up your reading when you begin again. This can be very discouraging (and when discouraged, many people quit). With the BBR method, you never really fall behind because you do not have a schedule. You simply keep moving forward every day that you read, without the guilt of falling behind. Keep in mind that you will need to spend approx. 1 ½ hours a week reading your Bible in order to finish within a year.
You are essentially reading your Bible as you would a novel, from beginning to end. Enjoy the Bible as you would any other fine literary work.
Easy like Sunday morning.
© 2023 Jody Dyer
