Reading the Bible in 2024
The start of a new year is a great time to set a goal of reading through the Bible in a year. How do you establish the habit of daily Bible reading? What are some steps that will help you achieve this goal? This post aims to give you some helpful tips for reading the Bible through in 2024 and making Bible reading a daily discipline.
Develop a Plan
Numerous reading plans will help you achieve the goal of reading through the Bible in a year. Numerous apps like the Bible app or apps affiliated with the various translation apps offer Bible reading plans on smartphones and other devices. If you are like me and prefer reading a hard copy of Scripture, you can use search engines to find different approaches for reading the Bible through in a year. Chronological plans focus on when particular books of the Bible were written and guide the reader to follow that order in his/her reading. Other plans simply guide the reader from Genesis to Revelation, breaking Scripture into daily sections. The plan I’m currently using is a 52-week plan that focuses on the various genres of Scripture: The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, Gospels, and Epistles. Using this plan, each day offers reading in a different genre.
Set a Consistent Time
The next step to developing the habit of daily Bible reading is to establish a consistent time each day to read God’s Word. As a teenager, I heard numerous preachers claiming that I must schedule my Bible reading time for the morning. They cited instances when Jesus got up early in the morning to pray and spend time with the Father (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:42). I believe that these passages are descriptive and not prescriptive. They describe what Jesus did, but do not prescribe His activity as a command for us to follow. The most important factor in picking a time to read God’s Word is your alertness and ability to focus on what you are reading. Pick a time each day when you will not feel rushed in your reading and will not be distracted.
Pick a Consistent Place
Read your Bible in the same place every day. Choose somewhere that is quiet and conducive to reading and concentration. Reading in a consistent location will help you make Bible reading a daily habit.
Write Notes in Your Margins, Or Keep a Journal
It’s okay for you to write notes about your reading in your Bible. If you do not have space in the margin to take notes on the passages, use a journal to record your reflections on the Scriptures. Write down whatever strikes you as you read. If a particular verse impacts you, write it down and make it a meditation focus throughout your day. Writing notes in the margins of your Bible or your journal will help you remember what you’ve read that day. These reflections will also offer you evidence of how the Lord is guiding you as you read His Word (Psalm 119:105).
Take the Next Step
Once you’ve established the habit of reading the Bible daily, the next step is to learn how to study the Scriptures in more depth. Learning how to study the Word of God and not just read it is critical to good biblical interpretation. A future blog post will address tips for studying Scripture. Hopefully, this post grants you helpful tips for establishing the discipline of daily Bible reading.
Tim McKnight is the founder and President of McKnight Ministries©, the nonprofit parent of Engage Every Generation. He is an Associate Professor of Missions and Youth Ministry and Director of the Great Commission Center at Anderson University. Tim is on the speaking team for Clayton King Ministries. Also, he is the lead pastor and planter of a new church plant, Mosaic Church of Anderson. Tim is the author of No Better Gospel (2017), Engaging Generation Z (Kregel 2021), and editor of Navigating Youth Ministry (B&H Academic 2022).
Tim started ministry in 1991 and has served churches in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a youth pastor, associate pastor, and lead pastor. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Bluefield College, and a M.Div. and Ph.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His primary field of study for the Ph.D. was in evangelism, with additional studies in missions and church history. His dissertation was on The Theology and Methodology of Evangelism of George Whitefield.
He served as a US Army Chaplain in the Kentucky Army National Guard, deploying on Operation Noble Eagle (2001) and Operation Enduring Freedom (2002). He is a recipient of the Kentucky Army National Guard Distinguished Service Medal.
He is a husband to Angela, father to Micah, Noah, Karissa, and MaryAnna. The most important thing he would want you to know about himself is that he is a follower of Jesus Christ.
