How to start a daily reading of the Bible?

The Bible is its own best teacher.  The Bible however is not arranged like an encyclopedia.  You cannot go to chapter 1 and read everything about God and go to chapter 2 to read everything about Jesus, etc. Some ground rules need to be set up first:

• Pray first before opening God's word.  Ask for guidance and to be able to accept what is written and to be able to apply His will to your life.
• Never, never read the Bible trying to proof your belief on any subject.  It is only human nature to take ideas out of context. 
• When you are reading and come across something that does not make sense, reread the paragraph or chapter again.  If you still do not understand, write down the problem area and continue onward. You may discover the answers later in your reading.
• Do not read large amounts of the Bible in one setting.  Take breaks often. Some folks read one chapter a day and others are strong readers that can read more than one chapter. The main thing is being open to the Holy Spirit guiding you and letting God's Word talk to you.
• Start with the New Testament, people who start with the Old Testament almost never read the Bible all the way through.  The New Testament is what is binding on us today.  We need to follow God's will for us today.
• Forget everything you have ever heard about Jesus, God and the Bible before you start reading the Bible.  Don't take what you want it to say with you first.

Now with those in mind, let's lay out the way to read the Bible to let it build on itself:

1. Read "John."  (It contains a lot of the life of Jesus not before read, especially his last two weeks before the crucifixion.)
   Gospel of John Reading Plan
   Recommend for those new to the Bible or new to Christianity our 21 days 5 to 10 minute reading the Gospel of John a chapter a day here. This reading guide was written to guide you through the book of John in 21 days. Read one chapter each day and spend time with God here.
2. 
   

   Gospel of John the 21 day Bible Reading Plan Challenge sent daily by email.
   If you're looking to take a first step in reading God's Word, our 21-day Challenge is for you. It's a simple way to begin making Bible reading part of your day. We believe that there is a message from God and about God and His will for your life in the gospel of John.  Probably the most important thing you can do is develop the habit of reading the Bible every day.

   It’s the primary way that God speaks to us, which means it’s vital to your relationship with Him as you follow along with this study guide of the Gospel of John. Sign Up for our Gospel of John 21 days,15 to 20 minute Bible reading plan sent by email each day to your in box.. More information or to sign up here.

3. 
   
5. Read "Matthew."  (It goes into better detail of some events and adds more about Jesus.)
6. Read "Mark." (It is written in chronological order.)
7. Read "Luke",   then "Acts."  Both written by Apostle Paul's traveling companion Luke.  Acts is a continuation of Luke.  It describes the early church and contains the examples of New Testament conversions.
8. Read "Galatians."  It deals with the reasons why we do not follow the Old Testament Laws in a more simplified way than does Romans or Hebrews.
9. Then read the rest of the New Testament starting at Romans and going to Revelation.

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FREE BIBLE STUDY GUIDES

Bible Study Guides that are relevant, engaging and life-changing —- making your life better now, and giving you a real, solid hope for your future. Use these study guides to improve your understanding of the Bible and strengthen your faith Each Bible reading plan is different in type and length. They are as varied as each individual so you have many to choose from. Consider the following options, but remember to choose one. Regular reading in God's Word is not optional. It's a necessity!

Request any of our free Study Guides here.

1. God’s Simple Plan of Salvation – Searching for Answers – 3 week guide here.
2. New Christian Study Guide – New To Christianity – 3 week study guide here.
3. Steps to Spiritual Maturity Guide – Nurturing Resources – 3 week guide here.
4. The Gospel of John – Knowing God Better – Personal book study - 3 weeks here.
5. Inspirational Daily Devotionals – Encouraging Spiritual Reflections – daily here.
6. Monthly Newsletter – Christ Centered Information – once a month here.
7. Personal Evangelism Training – Share the Gospel – fun creative way here.
8. Bible Studies – Instructive Resources – connecting you nearer to God here.

Free Study Guides
FREE STUDY GUIDES MORE INFORMATION HERE

OR SIGN UP FOR STUDY GUIDES HERE

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70 FREE BIBLE READING PLANS

Use one of our many daily Bible reading plans to easily read Scriptures. Reading the Bible daily is important to grow your faith and hope! They range from two week commitments to year-long commitments, from reading straight through cover to cover, to topical readings, to a mixture of readings each day. Check out our 70 Bible Reading Plans at our sister website Questions God. Com 70 BIBLE READING PLANS HERE.

SUMMARY OF BIBLE READING PLANS 1 TO 70
New to the Bible or New Christians Bible Reading Plans - Each plan is different - Plans 1-12 here.
Blended Bible Reading Plans - Old and New Testament combined daily - Plans 13-17 here.
Classic One & Two Year Plans - From the Beginning Genesis to the end of Revelation in order - Plans 18-23 here.
Chronological One Year Plans - Read the events of the Bible in the order they occurred - Plans: 24-25 here. 
Genres (Literature) Style One Year Plans - Reading the different Genre types - Plans: 26-27 here. 
Short Term Reading Commitments - Two week Plans for those with busy schedules - Plans 29 -41 here.
Children's Bible Reading Plans - 10 minutes a day for Children and Family Bible Readings - Plans 42-50 here.
Assorted & Diverse Excellent Bible Reading Plans - Variety of Books of the Bible Reading Plans - Plans 51-70 here.

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One question we are asked is: What translation should I use?
WHAT IS THE BEST BIBLE TO USE?

Many people are confused by the large number of different bible translations available. Personally would recommend the New International Version (NIV) as most Pastor's use it for preaching and teaching. It is accurate, easier to read and understand God's Word.

Other good translations include: NASB (New American Standard Bible), NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), and the NIV (New International Version), ESV (English Standard Version) and the NKJV (New King James Version). Some easy to read but not so accurate translations include The Living Bible (LB) , The New Living Bible (NLB), The Message, The Good News Bible (GNB for those new to the Bible.

For those new Christians recommend a devotional Bible as it helps explain the Bible verses that you can apply spiritually to your life. We have a list of good devotional Bibles you can order online depending in what country you live in for under $15.00 USD here.

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A Bible Reading Method You Can Use

The following is a bible reading method . It is very simple: Pray, Read, Think, Pray.
Pray:
Ask God to open up His Word to you. "Lord open my eyes that I may see wonders from your Word".
Read:
Read a short passage of Scripture about ten to fifteen verses or a chapter. Start with the New Testament first and read it in order from Matthew to Revelation.
Think:
Think about what you have just read and ask some of the following questions:

1. What does the passage say about God? What does it say about the Father, about the Son and about the Holy Spirit?
3. 
   What does the passage say about life? Does it teach some important principles? Is there a command to obey, a warning to heed, some wise advice for living?
4. 
   What does the passage say about your daily situation? Is there something you should be doing? Does it shed light on your professional life, family life or church participation?
5. 
   Has Jesus spoken to you in a special way through the Bible today? If so what did He say to you? Pray:
   Write out a prayer to God based on what you have learned from your Bible reading. Something like "Lord help me to love my neighbor as myself." or whatever lesson you have learned that day.
   
   

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BOOKS AND RESOURCES: That Can Help You Understand The Bible.

1. Commentaries - these analyze passages of the bible in-depth. Some good one volume commentaries that treat the whole Bible in one volume are available - just ask your Christian bookstore.
   An excellent devotional commentary is Matthew Henry's Commentary. online here.
   Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary Download (zip file) here.
   Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (PDF file) Read or Save to your computer here
   
2. 
   Maps - Maps and Archaeology/Bible Lands - Knowing a bit about the life and times, history and culture of people in Bible lands can be fascinating and very helpful.You can also see our maps and archaeology and Bible Lands here.
3. 
   Bible Dictionary is a way to find all you need to know about the life and culture.
   Easton's Bible Dictionary - read online or Download (zip file) here.
4. 
   Topical Bible is excellent for looking up topics of the Bible.
   Torrey's New Topical Textbook here.
   
8. 
   Concordances - a concordance is like an extensive index to the Bible that lists the words in the Bible and where they can be found. They are very helpful in bible study so that you can easily find all the verses on "money" or some other topic and find out all the Bible has to say about it. Good concordances include Strong's, Young's and Crudens here.
9. 
   Bible programs also allow you to do this very quickly on a computer and have many other helps as well. Good Bible search programs include Quick verse, and Logos.
10. 
    Download the above and more Resources here.

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The scriptures are perfect, but men are fallible. I prayerfully check all of the material I put on my sites. However, I am quite capable of missing something or making a mistake. If you find anything at all on these pages that is questionable or find any links broken please contact us here.