The anticipation and beginning of a new year brings with it hope. Hope that this new year will be better than the year before; hope that you can succeed in trying something you haven’t tried before; hope that you can overcome what once held you down. And, for those of us who trust the Bible, a new year often brings with it the hope to do the one thing we have all tried to do—read the entire Bible. This year I’m going to make it past that third book!
Every year, right around this time, Christian blogs are updated with articles on Bible reading plans of all shapes and sizes. There are Bible reading plans that bring a person through the Bible chronologically, plans that bring a person through the Bible chapter by chapter, and plans that bring a person through the Bible thematically. Every whole Bible reading plan that has ever been created has been created to do one thing: help a person read the entire Bible. The question is, do we recognize them for what they are created for or do we hope in them for something they can never do?
More often than not people get into Bible reading plans because they think that this plan will help them read the entire Bible. What they come to realize is that even that plan cannot do for them what they do not want done. The truth about Bible reading plans is that they are designed to help a person read the Bible by giving them a strategy for achieving that goal – a roadmap so they won’t get lost. They are not designed to help someone read through the Bible by removing all the obstacles of Bible reading (Leviticus, you know I’m talking about you). Therefore, if we see them for what they are (roadmaps, not magic wands) we would be more apt to heed their instruction and complete the goal we have set before ourselves: reading the entire Bible in a year.
Reading the entire Bible in a year is a noble goal and one I think we would all benefit from taking part in, however, if we believe at all what the Bible says about our hearts we should realize that even the most honorable plans could be run through with pride. Sure, we can fool ourselves into believing that we are setting out to read the entire Bible in a year because through reading the Bible we will come to know God more, which will cause us to grow in holiness. Sadly though, we usually come to February and our old friend Leviticus and begin to wonder if this was really worth it after all. The six-year old mentality creeps in and we think to ourselves, “I have eaten my peas for a month straight and I haven’t grown an inch!” This is the mentality that will drown you through Bible reading and there isn’t a Bible reading plan in existence that can save you from those waters.
All that being said, when you come to know what Bible reading plans are designed for and you employ them correctly, you will be amazed at what help they will provide. Therefore, if you are someone who is intrigued at the prospect of reading through the entire Bible over the course of 2017 and would like some help along the way, allow me to offer a Bible reading plan that may help you where you need it the most.
The folks at The Bible Project have created a reading plan for 2017 to help almost anyone read through the Bible in a year. Their plan has put together several key characteristics employed individually by other plans that really help the reader as they make their way through the entire Bible. The Bible Project’s reading plan offers a semi-chronological reading schedule through sections of the Old Testament—this is a huge help when trying to piece together stories as they originally occurred. Their plan also offers a lighter reading diet than other plans. By having daily readings around 3-5 chapters per day, this provides a person the steady diet needed in reading the Bible without the overwhelming feeling of falling behind. Also, this reading plan has the reader read a Psalm a day, covering the Psalms multiple times in a year with the intention of the Psalm readings being prayerful exercises. Lastly, because this plan is produced by The Bible Project, they have incorporated their Read Scripture series of videos along with some of their other videos into the plan schedule. What this does is provide that much needed help when coming up to those tall mountains like Leviticus and then being given the tools necessary to make the climb. The videos are really what set this plan apart from other reading plans and the reason why I believe (along with those at The Bible Project), if used how it is designed, this can be the help you need to make 2017 the year you read the entire Bible.
Access to The Bible Project’s 2017 Bible reading plan can be found here along with the introductory video found here.