9 Ways to Read the Bible This Year

New Year, New You

It’s a new year with new opportunities as well as a time to renew past commitments. In this post we will explore 9 different ways to read the Bible. Whether you annually read your Bible or are wanting to find a way to start for the first time this year, there may be a plan here for you!

Have you been reading the Bible every day of every year for the past many years? If so, congrats! That’s one of the best things you can do as a Christian. It’s a way to connect with God and hear what He has to say.

Have you picked up a Bible for the first time this year and are perplexed with where to start? Don’t worry, I’ve been a Christian all my life and have been reading the Bible since I was able to and I still have that problem. Isn’t it wonderful? Let’s not let that get us down. Here’s a remarkable book with so much in it, we could spend ages reading it and still find new things to ponder on!

Are you in the middle of both scenarios? You’ve read the Bible and continue to read the Bible. However, you don’t read regularly or you start reading regularly and then get busy and lose your streak. That, by far, most closely resembles my reading habits.

Regardless of where you’re at in your experience, here are some ways that you may want to try reading the Bible this year.

1. Read through the New Testament

If you don’t have much time to read, you can find a Bible plan that takes you through the entire New Testament in one year. Or if you are an organizer, you can make your own plan. This means you would be reading an average of 25 verses a day which should only take you 5 minutes or less.

2. Read through the Old Testament

Have a little more time, but still not much? Or you just want a bit more of a challenge? Try reading through the Old Testament. You’d be surprised what amazing truths you can find in there.

3. Chronological order of events

Want to read through the entire Bible but it doesn’t make sense? There were two kings with the same name? Or wait, maybe he just ruled twice. But that can’t be, it said he died. Twice? What? Try the chronological way of reading the Bible. YouVersion has a plan that did the figuring for you. All you have to do is read the chapters in the order prepared and you’re all set! Now you can read the Bible in the order that the events actually took place.

4. Study of books

Do you want to get more out of your reading this year? Try picking a book a month or week and take time to study it verse by verse. Take notes, ask questions, pray over it, ponder it. Do an overall in-depth study of whatever book you choose. If it helps, make a timeline for when you’d like to finish the book and move on to the next so you don’t get “stuck” on one or loose interest.

5. Study of prominent characters

Another way to study the Bible is to do character studies. It’s easiest to start out by picking prominent characters such as Job, Abraham, David, Moses, Peter, or Paul. Then read passages about them and study their character, their flaws and all. See what makes them who they are and learn from them; their good qualities and their bad.

6. Straight through

A simple choice and one you’d think of right away when talking about reading the Bible is to read it straight through from front to back. One thing to remember when doing this is to make sure you understand what you are reading. Reading the Bible isn’t supposed to be mundane and boring. You should be getting knowledge and understanding from it. After all, this is God’s way of talking to you, you better be listening!

7. Topical study

Doing a topical study can be very fulfilling and exactly what you may need as you go through life. Pick a topic, such as the Holy Spirit, or loving others, and search for scripture that talks about it. Learn what you can in a week or so, depending on the broadness of your topic and move on to the next. This is especially easy to do if you have a chain reference Bible like the Thompson Chain.

8. Study of chapters and important passages

This is a little different than the study of book, yet it’s also similar to the topical study. Pick a chapter such as 1 Corinthians 13 or important passages such as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and once again, do an in depth study on your selection. I think it’s a good idea to put a time frame on each study so you can stay on track and not drag things out too long.

9. Memorize some great verses

Last but certainly not least, a great way to read the Bible is by memorizing it. In a private school I went to for a few years they would challenge each student to memorize verses that they picked over the course of the school year. Some years they would pick an entire book, such as James, and over the course of 10 months they would have it memorized.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Psalm 119:11

Conclusion

Aside from picking up your Bible and opening up the cover, the next most important thing is deciding what to read. Yes you need to decide this. You could just pick up your Bible and start reading. If you don’t have structure, though, it’s hard to dig deep and discover what is happening and why those events occurred.

Hope this helps you dig deeper in your personal Bible study! Come back to check out more tips and tricks for a Christian life.