Many people have great plans to read the whole Bible at the beginning of each year and after a couple of weeks to a couple of months don’t continue till the end. A number of reasons exist for people not following through but this doesn’t have to be you. By following these four tips for reading the whole Bible you can significantly increase your chances of finishing what you start.
TIP #1: Use A Great Bible Reading Plan
Nothing will make a bigger difference than using the right Bible reading plan. Plans vary in length and how you choose to read will profoundly affect how much you get out of what you are reading. If you are looking to get a quick overview of the Bible and have a bunch of time, then it would be good to look for a 90-day plan. Reading the Bible quickly can profoundly impact the way you see the whole of scripture. However, many people don’t have an hour or two to read, consider what they read, and pray about it. If you don’t have this kind of time it would be better to choose a plan that stretches things out a bit more.
Our favorite Bible reading plan is Bible Study Together’s Chronological Cross-Reference Bible reading plan. This plan was designed as a 2-year plan, but this also gives the ability to make it a 1-year, 6-months, or 3-month plan by reading multiple “days” of the plan each day. This Bible reading plan combines what is best in other Bible reading plans by placing the Old Testament in chronological order and daily connecting New Testament passages together so you can see how the Old Testament fulfills the New Testament. Also, the Chronological Cross Reference reading plan has lots of accompanying resources such as daily questions, maps, and videos in their dedicated app and study journal. If you want to learn more about Bible Study Together’s chronological Bible reading plan then you can click the link. If you find more great Bible reading plans by going to this link.
Tip #2: Read with Other People
One of the best ways to fail at anything is to do it by yourself. Synergy is powerful with other people and it can be a powerful motivator to study the Bible with others. Family, friends, and church members are all great people to enlist in reading the scriptures together. People set up regular meeting times to talk about what they are reading or they form online groups. Many people use Facebook groups but Facebook is extremely distracting. That’s why Bible Study Together has created a private group forum inside their Bible app to allow group members to stay connected while reading the Bible together. If you are wanting to read the whole Bible you should start enlisting people to join you and you will find much greater success!
Tip #3: Use an Audio Bible
Staying focused while reading large portions of the Bible can often be helped by using an audio Bible. Audio Bibles are everywhere today and they don’t cost any money. You can find just about any version of the audio Bible out there without paying a dime. So expense is no longer an issue. Bible Study Together has a couple of audio Bibles in their app and if you can’t find a translation you like there you can check out YouVersion. If you use an audio Bible the best thing to do is not to merely listen to the Bible being spoken but to follow along as you read. This is very powerful to see and hear while going through the Bible. By listening to the Bible for a little over an hour a day, you can often make it through the whole Bible in two months. So if you are using a year-long plan, an audio Bible can really you help stay on track.
Tip #4: Get a Bible Study App
Printed Bibles are great and reading the whole Bible with a printed Bible has a lot of advantages, particularly helping you remember where on the page you read something. Nevertheless, having an app to help you in your Bible study can be priceless. Bible reading apps can help you keep track of where you are at in your Bible reading plan and provide you with a whole bunch of study resources that you may not get in printed Bible. Printed study Bibles have lots of great tools such as maps, book introductions, and even some commentary. Apps can have all these things plus much more. Many Bible apps have Biblical word study tools, videos, and daily questions to go along with the reading. Bible Study Together’s app can also help you store prayer requests and share what you are studying with your group who is reading along with you. Also, Bible apps probably go with you wherever you are because they are on your phone. So unlike a large study Bible, you probably will always have your Bible app on you, which can provide you with significantly more opportunities to read your Bible throughout the day.
Conclusion
If you are wanting to read through the whole Bible then don’t become another statistic by not following through. Set yourself up for success by following our 4 tips for reading through the whole Bible. Bible Study Together has a great plan designed to be read with their app, reading plan booklet, or printed study journals. It’s designed to make it possible for whole churches to read through the Bible together with each person using the method they like best. By using the right Bible reading plan with others you can successfully enrich your communion with God and read the whole Bible. You can get started by going to: https://BibleStudyTogether.com.
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