Year-Long Bible Reading Plan

By Jon Fitz

Introduction to the Year-long Reading Plan for the Bible

Personal Comments from the Author

I have been convinced for some time that it is essential for a Christian to be well acquainted with God's word. The Biblical foundations for this are clear enough, yet many commonly held beliefs are based on hearsay, rather than a first-hand knowledge of the truth. I think this matter is especially important for Protestants who hold to the notion of Sola Scriptura.

Nonetheless, I found the Bible's organization confusing if read cover-to-cover. This made me think that a chronological organization might be simpler to follow. In addition, I wanted a schedule (rather than a Chronological Bible) so that the user could freely choose translations and study helps. I wasn't sure how to proceed, but committed to trying after reaching the conclusion that God wanted me to work on this project. God really did show me the way through it, and it was one step at a time the whole way. It was an exciting process, and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity. I expect to make improvements as time allows, but I hope the current version will be helpful to the committed reader.

Introduction to the Year-long Reading Plan for the Bible

If you are a Christian, or simply an inquisitive person, you probably want to know more about God. Fortunately, God has anticipated this, and provided us with the Bible. Think of the Bible as God’s FAQ sheet (that’s “Frequently Asked Questions” for you internet novices!). “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV 2Tim 3:16-17) However, many people get frustrated when reading the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament. You might ask: “Who are all those people? Why does everything seem so jumbled up?” This plan is designed to help overcome these problems. The primary emphasis is on putting events into chronological order. Non-historical books are organized so that they tie into the history as much as practically possible. The overall goal is to help you to read and understand more of the Bible and to understand it from a broader perspective.

The Basic Reading:

	Requires an average of only 12 chapters per week (2 per day with a rest day each week!)
	Concentrates on historical events and people
	Completes most of the history quickly so that Genesis is still fresh in your mind when you finish the New Testament historical account of the Church in the Book of Acts
	Features at least one chapter from every book of the Old Testament
	Also includes highlights from the New Testament, Prophets, and Poetic Books

The Optional Reading:

	Includes the entire Bible
	Requires an average of only 12 additional chapters per week
	Organizes the major prophets into topics which synchronize with the Basic Reading
	Puts the minor prophets into chronological order
	Relates the 5 thematic Psalm groups to the Pentateuch and the History of Israel
	Puts most of Paul’s Epistles into chronological order

Some Suggestions:

Always pray before reading and ask God to help you understand the Scriptures

Choose a translation which is easy for you to read—this is important!

Don’t try to get super-detailed. Concentrate on getting the big picture. Make notes of books/chapters you would like to study in detail and come back if you have time.

Don’t get discouraged! If you get behind, just keep going. It’s not a race.

Pick a daily schedule that suits you. You can do the weekly reading in one day or seven. You can read Psalms on Mondays and “Basic” on Weekends. Experiment.

If you don’t like reading, consider an audio Bible:

Available in CD or Cassette at Christian bookstores

Many companies sell over the web (www.biblebible.com is one of many good sites)

CDs are much easier to use and cost about $150

Tapes cost from $50-100 for a good recording—but be sure they’re indexed

Many people could “read” the whole Bible in a year while commuting to work

It might sound like a lot, but consider how long you will enjoy this investment ;-)

Download the Reading Plan *** Updated 15 Aug 2004 ***

The Year-long Bible Reading Plan is currently available for download as a Microsoft Excel file or a Adobe Acrobat PDF File, which when printed fits nicely onto two A4 pages in landscape mode. Download the following zip file and then extract the MS Excel file:

Download Zip File containing MS Excel file (13 KB)

Download Adobe Acrobat PDF File (116 KB) - tip, if using MS Internet Explorer, right-click and select "Save Target As..."

To view the PDF file, you will need to have Adobe Reader installed.

If you would like the file in another format, email the webmaster and something will be arranged.

View the Reading Plan on-line *** Updated 15 Aug 2004 ***

The Reading Plan can also be viewed on-line by selecting the following link. Note - this page is best formatted when viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or greater.

View the Reading Plan as HTML

Contact Details for the Authour

You can contact Jon Fitz by email at readingplan@fitzes.com

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