A Tale of Two Bible Reading Plans

Last January, I decided to break out of my normal pattern and buy a new study Bible. I had wanted to try the Reese Chronological Bible, but couldn’t find one anywhere, so I bought the A.W Tozer study Bible I found at my church’s bookstore.

Encouraged by the fact that my far-busier-than-I Sunday School teacher makes it through the Bible twice each year, I decided to give it a try. After all, if he could do it, maybe I could too!

In the process, I had the helpful opportunity of comparing two Bible reading plans, which I thought might be helpful information as a new year rolls around.

Cover-to-Cover

For my first read-through, I simply read the Bible cover-to-cover. With both methods, I found it helpful to read as much as I could each day, spending more time on Saturdays when my mornings were typically less busy, and allowing myself the occasional “short” day when illness or oversleeping ate up some of my reading time. (But I had to be careful to keep those days at a minimum to keep myself from becoming lazy.)

I have read through the Bible cover-to-cover many times over the years, but never in such a short time. I enjoyed the big-picture view it gave me of God’s overarching plan as I moved through the Bible more quickly.

—In case you’re wondering, I enjoyed the Tozer Bible. It was more of a devotional Bible than a study Bible, though. It has various excerpts from Tozer’s books interspersed throughout, sometimes having to do with the passage on the page, sometimes just a quote to think about.

For the Tozer fan or someone who wants to have read more Tozer without committing to an entire book of his, this might be a good option. For me, the quotes and excerpts were kind of like reading a quote book. Tozer’s writings are very good and beneficial to read, and I will gladly read through that Bible again, but there wasn’t much in the way of explanatory notes to go with the Scripture passages. If that’s what you’re looking for, I recommend the Defender’s Study Bible or Key Word Study Bible.

Chronological

By the time I began my second read-through, I had found a copy of the Reese Chronological Bible. (eBay is the way to go if you want to find one that is less expensive.) I had never done a chronological reading plan, but the idea intrigued me.

It was fascinating reading through the events of the Bible in chronological order, and the Reese Chronological Bible also has dates and information for other historical events happening around the same time.

I am unmistakably a creature of habit, so while it was good to read through the Bible chronologically, I missed the normal sequence of chapters. That having been said, I did enjoy reading through the Bible chronologically, particularly the sections of Scripture that have parallel or interspersed events.

If the chronological plan sounds interesting to you, the Reese Chronological Bible makes it easy. You can find plenty of chronological reading plans out there, but I enjoyed not having to figure out what passage to read next, and the research behind the chronology is, from what I can tell, quite reliable.

Pitfalls

There is one reminder I want to give: Reading through the Bible twice was good for me in so many ways, but as with every reading plan, the temptation is to skim through or to rush to get a certain number of chapters “done.”

I needed to remind myself daily that my Bible reading wasn’t about goals or numbers, but about a relationship with God. I tried to approach each day’s reading time with a focus on listening for what the Holy Spirit wanted to teach me through what I was reading. That is what made both these reading plans profitable to me.

Taking Time to Slow Down

Susannah Spurgeon was known for saturating herself with large quantities of Scripture, yet she still recommended taking small amounts of Scripture and meditating on them. Both approaches are important. The entire point of Bible reading plans is to get Scripture into your heart and mind, and to let the Holy Spirit use it as Romans 12:2 tells us:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

So as a new year dawns, what are you going to do to get Scripture into your heart and mind?

“O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97