Bible Reading Challenge

Out with the old....and in with the new.....

Yesterday at church we proposed a challenge to our youth group to really get close to God this coming year, by reading through their Bibles.  Many people have never read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation. The Word of God is alive and powerful, and reading it will help you get to know God better, as well as learning what kinds of plans and purpose He has for your life! I have always found that the New Year - flipping the calendar - is a great time to reset yourself and start some new habits.

I compiled a list of Bible reading resources, and would like to challenge all who come in contact with my blog to choose one and make a commitment to God and to themselves to faithfully and daily read their Bible this year. 

There are several ways you can do this.....  I think the important thing is to pick a plan that is doable for you, and then stick to it! How many of us have started the new year with great intentions and gotten bogged down with life within the first few weeks??  I have heard it said that Genesis is the most read book of the Bible because of those 'good intentions'.

For those of you who have never read through the Bible, or find reading challenging, may I suggest that you commit to reading through just the New Testament this year?  (This is also a great plan for children! It is 'just the right amount' for a beginner to intermediate reader, or for a read-aloud program with your children)  Here is a set of printable bookmarks that you can use to help you.

Read through the New Testament this year!

Click here to go to website for printables

Audio Bible Online
If you are like some of the members of my family, and would like to "hear" as well as read along with the Bible, here is a great free site to help you do just that! It even keeps track of where you left off. One of my children used this everyday this past year, and had the benefit of not only learning to read through some of the harder words, but also of "hearing" the Word of God.

52 Week Bible Reading Plan

This next plan is for those who may have already read through their Bibles, and are looking for something a little different, or get bored with the tedious lists of genealogies and need to have their reading "mixed up" a bit.  This is a plan that gives you a little bit of Old Testament, New Testament, prophecy, poetry, etc. all week long - something different every day.

Other Plans:

Here is one more site that has nice printables to give you a little bit of Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms/Proverbs everyday.  Bible Reading Checklists from The Teaching Home

One interesting and challenging way to read the Bible, and to really dig into it, getting a clearer picture of what events and people were contemporary, is to read through the Bible following a chronological plan.  Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Lastly, I found a 90 day challenge. Following this plan will allow you to read through the entire Bible in just 90 days.  I have heard variations, that it can take 30 minutes to an hour to accomplish this. I suppose it depends on how fast of a reader you are. Someday I would really like to do this!!  I am including it as a challenge and resource here too....  We have one young lady in our youth group who has committed to doing this, and I'm proud of her!

Here is the copy of the downloadable pdf from Back to the Bible that will give you the plan to read through the Bible in 90 days.  If you take the challenge and complete it, please let me know! I would love to share in your joy.

While I have included many different sites and links here - I do not completely endorse everything that these sites have to offer. Many use different versions, which I do not agree with, and many have opinions and editorials that I am not endorsing. Rather, please view this simply for what it is - a resource list of tools that you can use. Take the good, leave the bad, so they say. These Bible reading plans are very well done and I would like nothing more than to see them get a lot of use! May there be a revival of the reading of the Word of God in our lives this year!

I would love to share in your Bible reading success!! Each member of my family has chosen a plan and committed to it for this coming year, and I hope you will too!

Happy New Year!

May God richly bless you in 2013!