How to Read Through the Entire Bible in a Year

As this is the time for New Year's Resolutions, many Christians determine to read their Bibles more as they start a new year. Some Christians even decide to read the entire Bible. Although reading all the books of the Bible is a worthy goal, most Christians, don't know how to get started, much less how to finish.

Don't Overwhelm Yourself

Read the Bible in bite-size pieces each day. Rather than do a reading marathon, only read a few chapters, but do it regularly. As there are roughly 1200 chapters in the Bible, you only have to read about 3.5 chapters a day to read the entire Bible.

Find a Plan for Bible Reading

Often Christians fail to read their Bibles as much as they should because they don't have a workable plan. There are scores of different Bible reading plans for reading the entire Bible in a year. You can find them online, as well as in the daily devotionals such as "Our Daily Bread",

Most plans include reading the Bible chronologically. However others combine verses from both the Old and New Testaments. Other methods include the Psalms and Proverbs plans, where daily readings include passages from these two Old Testament literautre books.

What's important is to experiment with the plan that works best for you. For example, if you fear you may be bogged down in too much in the Old Testament, choose a plan that mixes the New Testament into a daily reading. On the other hand, if your brain works better chronologically, then start in January with Genesis and end in December with Revelations.

Email Plan

Although most Christians prefer to read from a printed Bible, in this electronic age, others read online. By doing an internet search, you can find various email plans where scripture is emailed to you daily. Or, visit "Read the Bible Online", where you'll find scriptures for each day of the year. And, of course, there are those who use their PDAs, even in church, to look up scriptures.

Be Adjustable

Although you strive to read each day, granted there will be some days when it will be more challenging to get in your daily Bible readings than others. For example, if you know you'll be extremely busy at a certain time, you may want to read a little ahead of time, so you won't fall behind.

Find a Special Place and Time of Day

It's best to carve out a special sanctuary where you can plan to meet the Lord each day as you read the Bible. Try to select a room in your home where you can be alone with God, without being interrupted. For some busy mothers, this may be a bathroom. But wherever it is, try to go there everyday.

Let's face it---some of us get up with the chickens, while others are night owls. Choose a time to do your Bible reading when you're at your peak of energy, and not ready to fall asleep.

Pray Before You Begin

Rather than just opening up your Bible and reading, seek the Lord in prayer. In other words, before you begin to read, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding on what you're going to read.

Use a Concordance

Instead of giving up when you don't understand what you're reading, have a good concordance beside your Bible to look up words and phrases that you don't comprehend. Or, ask you pastor or Sunday school teacher to explain a passage that doesn't make sense to you.

How Can I Apply What I Read Today?

Each day ask yourself how you can apply a particular scripture you've read that day. You'll be amazed how the Holy Spirit will highlight certain verses that are just for you. On the other hand, you may have read a familiar verse for years, but for some reason it stands out with a new meaning.

Don't Give Up

If you happen to fall behind in your reading, don't give up. Just read what you can and continue until you've read the entire Bible. Even if it takes you more than a year, that's okay. The focus is on reading the Bible and not how fast it takes to do so.