Guest Post: Reading the Bible in a Year Is Not Just Reading the Bible in a Year

Note: Enjoy this guest post by Elizabeth Clevenger!

Have you ever made a decision that was even wiser and more helpful than you realized at the time? Did you chart a course based on simple understanding and obedience, only to find that God is far greater than you realized, and to enjoy fruitfulness and grace that you could not have anticipated? That is what you might find if you choose to read the entire Bible in one calendar year. 

Reading through the entire Bible in a year can:

• Give you an ever-ready answer to the question, “What do I read for my devotions?” Not having a ready answer to that question can be a deterrent to actually sitting down to read. Knowing what you are going to read in the Word can help you stay consistent and be motivated.

• Create awareness of when you aren’t reading Scripture. It is much easier to lose track of how many days or weeks you have not been in the Word if there is no Bible reading plan. You may even think you are somewhat regular… until you have the accountability of a plan.

• Normalize a larger presence of Scripture in your life. What a mercy – to expect and be used to the Word of God having a more substantial part of your daily life than it may have been before.

• Teach new lessons as you come across verses you didn’t know were in the Bible. You may be surprised by verses you did not know about or by verses you find in places you did not expect.

• Make connections between chapters, Bible books, and the Old and New Testaments. Reading the entire Bible from start to finish over the relatively short time can solidify and flesh out biblical themes and principles..

• Protect you from proudly and blindly thinking you know everything the Bible has to say. Spending honest, genuine time in them will not prove your pride to be correct. It will humbly “enlarge your heart” (Psalm 119:32).

• Prevent small mindedness, and pet books and chapters and doctrines. Reading the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, is the opposite of living by your favorite portions and ignoring the rest. If this is your tendency, reading the Bible in a year could be one way to grow past that.

• Challenge your heart to embrace the entire Bible. It can be hard to believe that the content, length, details included or left out, etc., of any given chapter or book are intentional and good and best. Reading the entire Bible can give opportunity to repent and have your faith be strengthened.

• Bring you to ask biblical questions of the text. One merciful result is that we can start thinking through Scripture with Scripture (exegesis), instead of with human, experience, or cultural questions (eisegesis). If you are prone to eisegete, try reading the Bible in a year.

• Provide refreshment as you think that all the Scripture you are reading is given to us by God. You are reading everything that the eternal God desired to communicate to the humans He created. Each chapter is intentional, loving, and for our eternal blessing.

• Help eradicate sin. For example, after reading about the godly prophets and kings, with their astounding feats of unwavering faith and obedience, it is easier to not tolerate faithless disobedience in our own lives.

• Cause Scripture to become a natural part of your mind, thinking, and conversation. You may find yourself making references to it, making Bible jokes, and turning to it with more and more ease as the year progresses.

Approach reading the Bible in a year as time in the Word, not a rigid checklist. Allow yourself to read less on some days and push yourself to read more on other days. You may find yourself reading extra chapters because you want to know what happens next, or because you want to get a particular Bible character out of a tense situation!

Consider not using a checklist, especially if you are prone to be perfectionistic. In order to read the Bible in a year, simply read three or four chapters a day. You will always have a rough idea where you are – if you lose track, just do some math based on how many chapters are in the books you already read or still need to read.

If you fall behind, resist the urge to feel guilty (unless you actually know you sinned). Instead, rejoice! Now you know what you will read at the mechanic, or the dentist, or on your lunch break, or before bed, and embrace the mercy of forcing the Word of God into your daily life.

I use a simple combination of 1) a magnetic bookmark [1], and 2) always reading a multiple of two chapters (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, …). When I tumble out of bed in the morning and open my Bible, all I have to do is open to the magnetic bookmark, find the odd number on the page [2], and read (at least) the next two chapters. No papers, no pens, no checkmarks, just intentional time in the Word. 

May you enjoy the mercies of God through increased time in His perfect Word. And who knows, this could be the first New Year’s commitment you see all the way through to December!

[1] Amazon has a nature-themed set for less than $5 and a Christian-themed set, also for under $5. Your local Mardels or Christian bookstore may have some as well.

[2] Reading an even number of chapters will always result in starting on an odd number.

Elizabeth Clevenger is a member of Summit Woods Baptist Church in Lee’s Summit, MO. She has a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a master’s degree in Biblical Counseling, both from Calvary University. Elizabeth, a certified biblical counselor, enjoys serving her church in the areas of evangelism, music, and counseling, and works on staff at Summit Woods as administrative assistant.

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