Bible reading/listening plans

There are lots of benefits to following a Bible reading plan, mainly that they will help keep you on track and remind you to read your Bible even on days when you are insanely busy, tired, or simply don't feel like reading.

For reading to the children every day, I really like the One Year Bible. I have been amazed again and again how the passage from the Old Testament will talk about the same subject as the New Testament, and even correlate with the Psalm and Proverb for the day. Following this schedule, you will have read through the Bible in one year, and will have read Psalms and Proverbs twice. It is never too early to start. Even a newborn will enjoy listening to your voice reading while you sit down with them in your arms. It takes us a good 30 minutes every day to read this, accounting for the usual disruptions that can be expected from little kids who need to be reminded to sit still and listen. I really could not imagine reading out loud to them for any longer than this because it is so much more strenuous than reading silently by myself.

Personally, I think it is important to read the Bible more than just once per year (although that would be a great start for someone who has never read the entire Bible). I find using reading schedules very helpful. I also really like listening to the Bible on my portable MP3 player while folding laundry, cleaning, or working on a craft. If you are an attentive listener, I think that listening to a reading of the Bible can be just as beneficial as reading from the actual book. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Revelation 1:3) I have a set of three MP3 CDs that I keep in my van's CD changer at all times (the other 3 slots have sermon MP3 CDs in them), which allows us to listen to the Bible while running errands or on long drives.

Below is a plan that will get you through the Old Testament in 4 months, meaning you could read it three times in a year. When you break it down into weeks, the portions do not seem overwhelming at all - you just need to be consistent.

WEEK 1 Genesis

WEEK 2 Exodus — Leviticus 15
WEEK 3 Leviticus 16 — Numbers
WEEK 4 Deuteronomy — Joshua
WEEK 5 Judges — 1 Samuel 17
WEEK 6 1 Samuel 18 — 1 Kings 6
WEEK 7 1 Kings 7 — 2 Kings
WEEK 8 1 Chronicles — 2 Chronicles 25
WEEK 9 2 Chronicles 26 — Job 25
WEEK 10 Job 26 — Psalm 68
WEEK 11 Psalm 69 — Psalm 119
WEEK 12 Psalm 120 — Ecclesiastes 4
WEEK 13 Ecclesiastes 5 — Isaiah 34
WEEK 14 Isaiah 35 — Jeremiah 12
WEEK 15 Jeremiah 13 — 2 Lamentations 2
WEEK 16 Lamentations 3 — 2 Ezekiel 47
WEEK 17 Ezekiel 48 — Micah
WEEK 18 Nahum — Malachi

For the New Testament, here is a plan that will get you through in 40 days. If you were to follow the above plan first, then follow this New Testament plan, you would have read through the entire Bible in less than 6 months. If you do this addition to reading to your children, you will have read the Bible 3 times in one year, spending about 1 hour per day on it. Compared to how much time is often spent watching TV, surfing the net, or talking on the phone every day, this is comparatively short.

DAY 1 Matthew 1-7
DAY 2 Matthew 8-12
DAY 3 Matthew 13-18
DAY 4 Matthew 19-24
DAY 5 Matthew 25-28
DAY 6 Mark 1-6
DAY 7 Mark 7-11
DAY 8 Mark 12-16
DAY 9 Luke 1-4
DAY 10 Luke 5-9
DAY 11 Luke 10-13
DAY 12 Luke 14-19
DAY 13 Luke 20-24
DAY 14 John 1-5
DAY 15 John 6-9
DAY 16 John 10-14
DAY 17 John 15-19
DAY 18 John 20-Acts 4
DAY 19 Acts 5-9
DAY 20 Acts 10-15
DAY 21 Acts 16-20
DAY 22 Acts 21-26
DAY 23 Acts 27- Romans 4
DAY 24 Romans 5-10
DAY 25 Romans 11-1 Cor. 1
DAY 26 1 Cor. 2-9
DAY 27 1 Cor. 10-15
DAY 28 1 Cor. 16-2 Cor. 9
DAY 29 2 Cor. 10-Gal. 4
DAY 30 Gal. 5-Php. 1
DAY 31 Php. 2-1 Th. 2
DAY 32 1 Th. 3-1 Tim. 5
DAY 33 1 Tim. 6-Heb. 1
DAY 34 Heb. 2-10
DAY 35 Heb. 11-James
DAY 36 1 Pet. 1-1 Jn. 1
DAY 37 1 Jn. 2-Jude
DAY 38 Rev. 1-7
DAY 39 Rev. 8-15
DAY 40 Rev. 16-22

You could get additional support by finding a friend who will commit to following the same schedule to keep both of you on track.