Get to Know Your Bible – Page 2

The Bible is a big book (click here to see how big)! Many Christians undertake reading the Bible in a year, each year. This is a noble goal and one to which I personally subscribe. But actually completing the Bible in a year and staying motivated is tough. Below are 12 tips for helping you read through the entire Bible each year and to stay motivated! I utilize all of these and find them all helpful. I hope you do as well. 1. Choose a Reading Plan Before you begin reading through the Bible in a year, choose a reading plan so that you know in what order you will read the Bible. I have a list of great reading plans HERE, so feel free to check those out. My one piece of advice on plans is to not choose a plan that has you reading multiple books of the Bible at the same time. This makes it harder to read ahead if you desire and harder to remember where you are up to in case you find yourself with unexpected down time (see tip #10). 2. Read Four Chapters a Day There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible. If you read four chapters a day, then it will take you 298 days to read through the entire Bible. This leaves you with 67 ‘free’ days (roughly two months) each year. You want these extra days because if you miss a day or two of your reading (and let’s be honest, you will miss a day or two) then you don’t have to catch up the following day (i.e., you don’t have to read 8 or 12 chapters in a day to catch up). Thus, you want to read four chapters a day even if you miss a day or two. Never play catch up. If you try and catch up, you will be less motivated to read because the thought of reading more than four chapters will be quite daunting. You can also read your four chapters in one sitting or at four different times during the day. For example, Australians usually have morning tea and afternoon tea breaks at work, which is a 15-minute break. You could read a chapter in the morning, a chapter at morning tea, a chapter at afternoon tea, and a chapter right before bed. 3. Read More Than Four Chapters if You Desire Don’t limit yourself to the minimum of four chapters a day if you are able and desire to do more than four chapters. Many books of the Bible have short chapters and you may desire to read more than four chapters. For example, Psalms 127–134 (eight chapters) are extremely short and can easily be read in ten minutes! Why limit yourself to only four chapters when you reach these in your reading plan? Read them all in one sitting if you desire. Also, some books consist of 5–6 chapters, such as Galatians, Ephesians, and 1 Thessalonians. You could easily read the whole book in one sitting; if you desire to do that, then do it! But remember, the next day go back to reading at least four chapters. 4. Get Started Early if You Desire If you desire to begin your yearly Bible reading before January, then start it before January. Usually by December, work slows down for me and I am itching to begin my yearly Bible reading again (I frequently finish around August each year). So, I sometimes begin my yearly Bible reading a month early and get a head start. This is the month I usually read the longer books, such as the Pentateuch or one of the longer prophets. Getting a head start is good motivation to keep going. Getting started late, however, will most likely discourage you from reading the Bible and you’re more prone to putting it off even further. 5. Read from a Physical Bible Ensure you have a physical copy of the Bible to read. This physical copy should be the main Bible from which you do your yearly Bible reading. Reading from a physical Bible allows you to see the end of each day’s reading. When reading the Bible in an app, sometimes the chapters seem to go on forever and you don’t know when it ends. This can discourage you from reading over the long term. However, if you see that a chapter is short, you are more motivated to read it; and if you see a chapter is long, you can prepare your mind (and your schedule) to read it and read it well. Reading from a physical Bible also allows you to clearly see your progress each time you pick it up and each time you finish that day’s reading. 6. Read from the Same Bible Each Year The goal is to read through the Bible in a year, every year. When doing this, it is ideal that you read from the same physical Bible each year. Reading from the same version and the same physical Bible helps you remember the contents and where the contents are located in the Bible. For example, I know that the most controversial warning passage in the book of Hebrews is located at the bottom right-hand corner of the right page. Thus, even if I don’t remember it is in chapter 6 (or where in chapter six), I just need to look at the bottom right-hand corner of each page of Hebrews and I know I’ll find it. 7. Read with a Pencil When you read, always have a pencil at hand so that you can mark up your Bible. Underlining and writing notes in your Bible assists your reading in the long run. Each year, you can be reminded of the previous years’ insights and you can build upon them! Having a pencil while reading will also greatly help with the next two tips. 8. Focus on Topics or Themes while Reading While you read, it is helpful to focus a particular topic or theme that interests you and you should choose a new topic or theme each year. Focusing on a topic or theme (a) greatly increases your knowledge of the entire Bible’s message and content, and (b) provides something specific to search for in the text, making reading much more enjoyable and less arduous. When you come across that topic or theme, make some kind of annotation in your Bible. For example, one time I was writing a paper on sexual immorality, so I chose a red pen and underlined every time the term “sexual immorality” occurred in the Bible (Gen–Rev). I can now easily identify passages related to that theme every time I now read through my Bible. I also have a greater understanding of sexual immorality according to the Bible (frequently it refers to committing idolatry or is associated with idolatry!). As a second example, in Numbers 14:22, God says that Israel has tested Him “these ten times and have not obeyed my voice.” While reading through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, see if you can find those ten times and make a note of each time Israel tests God and disobeys him. You’ll certainly impress your friends by knowing each time! 9. Track Your Progress Tracking your progress while reading through the Bible is a great motivator, especially as you get toward the end. When I complete a book of the Bible, I write the year next to that book in the Table of Contents. This helps me keep track of my progress year-by-year and motivates me to keep reading. It really irks me not to have every book marked off by the end of the year. 10. Have a Bible App on Your Phone I know I said you need to read from a physical copy of the Bible in point #5, but hear me out. Having a Bible app on your phone that is always set to the current book and chapter you need to read next allows you to read the Bible during unexpected down times. Most Christians don’t have a Bible on their person at all times, but we usually have our phones on us. Thus, when you find some unexpected free time, you can whip out your phone and read a chapter. For example, sometimes I’ll read a chapter while on the toilet (let’s be honest, most of us are on our phones while pooping!). Or, if I’m waiting for someone at a restaurant or waiting at the bus/train station, I can read a chapter. Remember to always have this app up to date with the chapter you need to read next. 11. Delete All Games Off Your Phone If you really want to successfully read through the Bible in a year, every year, you need to delete all games off your phone. Phone games are addictive and will overtake your Bible reading time. If you replace playing games on your phone with reading the Bible, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you read through the Bible (you’ll find yourself reading much more than four chapters a day). Personally, I had to do this. I can get hooked on things quickly and having just one game on my phone seemed to take up (i.e., waste) a lot of my time. As soon as I deleted the one game on my phone and replaced playing with reading, I found myself reading about eight chapters of the Bible each day! 12. Have an End Goal Having an end goal for reading your Bible each year can help motivate you to finish. For example, whatever time is left in the year once I finish reading through the whole Bible, I dedicate to studying one book of the Bible. Last year (2022), I dedicated the remainder of the year to studying 1 Thessalonians. This year (2023), I will focus on 2 Thessalonians. Doing something like this allows you to focus on both the whole Bible story (by reading the whole Bible each year) and the small details (by studying everything you can about one book). Your goal could be something completely different, this one is just mine.