Every person’s Bible reading plan doesn’t need to look the same or even take the same amount of time, but you don’t have to overcomplicate it. Pray, and ask God to help you. Without that daily intake of God’s word, we will be spiritually malnourished, and we will fail to fear the Lord. Set your heart to the task. God is willing and able to help.

I think every Christian should read through the entire Bible routinely. We are commanded to live on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4), and it is commended that we read in it all the days of our lives (Deut 17:19). And while this seems like it shouldn’t be controversial to say, I have found that almost every person I talk to in the American South (and I’d imagine is true of a lot of places) has never read through the Bible in it’s entirety. And it’s not just in nominal, cultural Christians. It is often in well-meaning, genuine Christians. Some are even leading in church or para-church ministries. For these people, I don’t think the problem is sincerity, but rather an overcomplicating of the Bible-reading process. I want to shine a light on some common mistakes and hopefully help you avoid them.

Studying Every Passage

I think we should be like Ezra, and set our hearts to study the law, do the law, and teach it (Ezra 7:10). BUT, it is all too common for me to hear that the thing that has derailed someone’s Bible reading is that they are turning every morning into an in-depth study session. They read a verse, then read a commentary on that verse, then read another commentary on that verse, then do a quick cross-reference search, then an hour goes by and they’ve only read one verse for the day. I don’t think this is a good use of the time. I’d suggest reading three or four chapters every morning with a pen and paper in hand. When something catches your eye, jot it down, then revisit it throughout the day and later in a separate time of study. You’ll find that you see more of God’s word this way, which in turn will help you understand what you are reading.

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