So its mid-January and the dust has already settled on many of those New Year resolutions. For many of you the ‘going-to-gym-every-day’ promise may not be going so well and the ‘eat-less-chocolate’ pledge may definitely have already taken a big dive, but perhaps it is time to get serious about something that really matters? What about challenging yourself to read the whole Bible (yes, even those looong genealogies) and what about trying to do it in the space of just one year?
Last year I decided to do exactly that and I have to say that it was simultaneously a frustrating, difficult, joyful, and enriching experience! Yet, it was indisputably an extremely growing and worthwhile journey as I was forced to read or re-read those parts of the Bible I tend to naturally avoid. Most of the time this really got me thinking because whenever I read something I didn’t quite understand, or was frustrated by, I tended to chew over it throughout the day often leading me to do further background study. This process ensured I got to grips with the larger Biblical narrative, both increasing my overall knowledge and my appreciation for the incredible salvation story of which we are all part.
There are many different ways you can set about reading the Bible in the space of just one year. You can google a ‘one year Bible reading plan,’ you can download a mobile app to help you, or you can even do things the old-fashioned way like I did and buy yourself a ‘One Year Bible.’ These are available in a wide variety of translations meaning you can probably get hold of one of your favourites.
Here are the basics of how a ‘One Year Bible’ works:
Each day's reading is broken into four parts: Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. You typically read a couple of chapters from the Old Testament, roughly a chapter from the New Testament, a Psalm or a portion of a Psalm, and a few verses from Proverbs.
There are positives and negative to reading the Bible like this, but ultimately more positives because you do get to grips with those parts of Scripture you might not normally read. Remember that the One Year Bible is not meant to replace your Bible but rather act as a companion to the one you already have as it leads you through a disciplined, reading plan. My personal experience was that this kind of reading plan is truly worthwhile and will perhaps open doors for you to begin studying the Bible with more depth and greater understanding.
Don’t worry about a late start to the year - you can easily plan to start your reading on January 19 2011 and finish January 19 2012. The most important thing to remember is to not fall too far behind in your reading because it does get really difficult to catch up.