The beginning of the year is a popular time to begin reading through the Bible. Many people struggle with consistent reading, and many people fail. So how do we succeed?
Personal reading, like personal prayer, is irreplaceable. No amount of assemblies, sermons, or classes can make up for what we fail to do in our own time. We should spend time for ourselves in the scriptures every day and not just feel satisfied with what we absorb each week in the assembly.
A familiarity with God’s word is absolutely vital to us in our knowledge of Him, His character, and His will. It will illuminate our way through life: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We should have an undistracted, unrelenting hunger for God’s word in our lives: “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word …” (1st Peter 2:2).
God is worthy of our devotion, our effort, and our time. Under the Old Law, God demanded the first and the best Israel had to give — and there were serious consequences for failure to give it (Leviticus 10:3; Malachi 1:1-14). I believe He demands the same of us, if in a different way (Hebrews 12:28-29). We routinely spend thirty minutes, an hour, or more watching the news or something else on the TV or the internet most days. A lot of people make time to watch football, basketball, or baseball during the season. Many people read novels or non-fiction each day. We all eat nearly every day, probably spending at least an hour if not two feeding our physical bodies. Do we spend time feeding ourselves spiritually? I can say without exaggeration that if the Christians I look up to the most were forced to make a choice between not eating or not reading God’s word, they would choose not eating every single time.
The Bible can be read through in a year in less than fifteen minutes a day. Fifteen minutes is approximately 1% of a day. One percent. Is God worth at least 1% of our day? Even a more intensive reading plan would take perhaps 2%, maybe 4%. I strongly suggest that reading the Bible once each year is the baseline we should set for ourselves, and we should be working toward more intensive reading schedules.
If you try to just “find the time” and fit reading in somewhere you will more than likely fail. We must take the time. We see examples in the scripture of individuals taking time and planning for spiritual things. During His time in this world, Christ constantly put spiritual things first (Mark 1:35; John 4:8, 31-34). We can apply that principle to our reading.
Many faithful and sincere Christians struggle with sticking to a reading plan. They begin with the best of intentions (often at the beginning of the new year), then slip in the following weeks or months — particularly when that week involves Leviticus.
Some Practical Advice
1. I am a great proponent of the power and convenience of electronic versions of the Bible, so this first piece of advice may surprise you: I highly recommend you use an actual printed Bible for your daily reading. Yes, you read that right — don’t use your phone, tablet, or computer for your daily scheduled reading. Beyond the tactile experience (which is nice, but may or may not matter), using a book to read aloud from instead of a phone you check 500 times a day helps psychologically build the habit of reading. On the other hand, there are some fantastic apps to help daily reading — but only use them if you have enough discipline to not be distracted by notifications on your phone or tablet until you’ve completed the reading.
2. The translation you choose matters, but maybe not necessarily in the way you think it might. The translation you use now is probably fine, but you might consider using a translation that isn’t the one you normally use. It can help force you to notice what you are reading, rather than mindlessly eyeballing over the words. Also, consider choosing a translation that is optimized for readability. A careful study of each individual word or phrase is deeply important — but that’s not the function of a daily reading. For instance, in my personal close study I often use the NASB. The NASB has been affectionately called “the wooden wonder” by some because of its awkward, wooden reading in english. In my daily reading, I have used the NASB before, but I tend to lean towards versions that read smoothly and clearly. Translations like the ESV, CSB, the NKJV if you prefer it, or maybe even the post-2011 NIV can be a good choice. If you’re fortunate enough to own a copy, the ALV is worth using. Note that I do not recommend using paraphrases like The Message or The Living Bible.
3. Chapters and verses are a great help for referencing in classes and sermons, but they can get in the way of natural reading. Practically no other book we read is broken up that way. The scripture was not aided by chapters until about the 13th century and verses in the 16th. Again, chapters and verses are wonderful innovations, but they can mentally and visually hinder long-form reading. As Matt Bassford said, “A slotted spoon is great for serving vegetables, but it’s not so good for eating your soup!” Consider using a “Reader’s Bible” — a Bible formatted in a large print, paragraphed, single-column layout with no verse markers and often no chapter markers. They are widely available in many translations like the ESV, NKJV, and CSB, ranging from less than $20 to over $300. For a reasonably well bound Bible, $20 is an absolute bargain.
4. To help establish the habit of daily reading, use a checklist or calendar. Whether it’s a to-do app on your phone with a recurring daily item, or a dollar store calendar you mark on, keeping track of your reading helps you be accountable and honest with yourself. To help even more, you could work with your husband, wife, or even a group of friends to keep each other on track.
5. Make or find a plan and stick with it. Don’t assume if you just read what you feel like reading each day that you will succeed in a long-term habit of reading. You won’t. For a chapter and verse layout, several excellent plans are available online. For a reader’s Bible, the easiest thing to do is take the total number of pages, divide by 365, and round up. If you suspect you may have some busy days coming, try to get ahead — it’s much, much easier than trying to catch up.
6. Try to set a time and place to do your reading. Whether you get up a little earlier, or make it part of your bedtime routine, having a particular time and place helps establish the habit. You could even split it — do half in the morning and half before bed. Sure, it’s not always possible, but it’s nice to have a quiet, undistracting place to yourself to read.
7. Read the Bible aloud to yourself. It may seem painfully, unbearably awkward at first, but it provides reinforcement of what you’re reading. When we hear ourselves read we can give ourself a better sense of the meaning, so to speak. As a great bonus, it should help us learn to become more effective public readers in classes or the assembly.
8. What about audio Bibles? Being able to listen to someone powerfully narrate the Bible while you’re driving, running, or otherwise unable to read a paper book is a great blessing of modern technology. Some of the most effective workers in God’s kingdom I know have learned the Bible by audio. That being said, I believe they should generally only be used as a supplement to your own reading rather than a replacement. It can be incredibly difficult to stay focused for too long, with the words going in one ear and out the other, but we feel like we can check it off for the day. Consider reading in the morning and then listening to the same section in the evening.
9. If you failed last year and didn’t finish, start this year where you left off. The goal is not simply to start over and over, but to finish! The years are a nice way to keep track of things, but there’s no rule that your reading plan has to go from January 1 to December 31.
