Reading the Whole Bible in Less Than a Year

I read my Bible through for Lent this year, and it was so awesome I want to share some ideas with you about one way to get through it. Maybe you have some ideas to share as well??!! 

Read it through like a good book. Don’t bog down in deep study. You can do that later, or in between, but for this project, just take it in. No big analyzing. Just read.  Remind yourself that you DO have time. You might have to give up some YouTube, FB, or TV time. You have to commit to it.

Now get started: In your “regular Bible”, read 5 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs every day. Make this a habit. You’ll be done with both books in a month. Don’t panic over 119. Just steal a few extra minutes that day, or make it up later.

After you read your Psalms and Proverb, read from a NT book. So each morning will be Psalms, a Proverbs chapter, and a NT reading.

MEANWHILE:  Buy an inexpensive Bible on audible.com. Begin the OT in this format, with Genesis. Listen while you drive, while you work out, whenever. Listen as time permits, but EVERY DAY.  Genesis begins the Pentateuch. After Genesis will be Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The story will continue with Joshua and Judges, and then Ruth slips in there like a glorious commercial break. Then back to our story with I and ii Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles. Chronicles is a different writer, and honestly, my least favorite, but it does have the infamous “If my people..” passage. Ezra and Nehemiah used to be one book, so read them in order. Esther is another commercial break, (this story brought to you by a God who cares), but ironically, it is the ONLY book in the Bible that never mentions God. Job is profound and sad.

For the NT, start with Jude.

It’s short, and has a groovy name.

Then go to Pauline Epistles:

Philemon - also short.

Now you’re off and running. Make the New Testament books your morning reading. 

Read: I Thessalonians one morning, II Thessalonians the next, Titus after that, I Timothy the next, and then ii Timothy.

Then one per morning:

Galatians - fruits of the Spirit.

Ephesians - helps with identity crisis.

Philippians - good attitude.

Colossians - delicious. 

Now buck up and read:

Romans

I,ii  Corinthians

Try dividing each into two days. For example, Romans is 16 chapters, so read 8 one day, and then 9-16 the next day. Painless.

Now, one per day:

Hebrews - two days if needed for this one. Its deep.

James 

I, ii Peter 

Now the Gospels. Read them in the order they were likely written:

Mark

Matthew 

Luke

Read Acts next because it used to be part of Luke and was written by the same guy.

Now read the Johannine literature. Well worth the wait.

John

I, ii, iii, John

The three Johns are so short God could have texted them to us. 

Also among the Johannine writings…the not so scary after all…

Revelation

By now you’ve probably finished the OT up to Psalms on audible. Read Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon manually, because they are poetic and beautiful.

Back to audible, you’re ready for the major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, who wrote Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. 

These start to feel a little long, but don’t give up!

Now, you’ve got 12 books left, all short. The minor prophets. Motifs will pop out if you listen on audible. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

Ta dah!!! You did it!!