Tuesday, July 1, 2008

I Have A Plan

Do you have a plan when you read your Bible? Recently in my Bible reading I have been trying to have a more cohesive plan.

Previously when I read my bible I would first wipe the dust off, (I used to be very sporadic in my devotions... and I don't like to dust) and read randomly with no rhyme or reason to my choice. Or, I would pick up a devotional and read whatever that author had to say about the Bible.

The problem with these two methods is:

  1. In order to learn what God is saying in His word, we need to be reading it in an ordered and disciplined way.
  2. In order to learn what God is saying in His word, we need to be reading His word, not another persons interpretation of His word. (I'm not saying that reading devotionals is wrong, I have several that I love and appreciate, I am just saying that it should not be our main focus during our devotional time.)
So, lately I have begun reading my Bible with a plan.

For my daily reading I begin with reading a chapter in Psalms. I have worked my way through the Psalms several times, and sometimes I will pause to pray through the Psalm if I find that chapter speaking to a specific need or situation in my life.

Next I read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to today's date. This way you will be reading through the book of Proverbs every month.

Then I move on to a chapter in the Old Testament. Previously I had never really read much of the Old Testament, so I'm making my way through that too. Currently I'm in 2 Kings.

And finally I read a portion of the New Testament. My plan is to read through the same New Testament book every day for a month (or a section of chapters if the book happens to be long.)
Last month I read through 1 John, and this month I am reading through Titus. By the end of each month, I will have a greater understanding of what God is saying in that book.

So, there it is, my bible reading plan. I have found that I am getting so much more out of God's Word when I stick to my plan!

Do you have a specific plan when you are reading? If you do, please leave a comment and share!

2 comments:

Amanda Jo said...

Hi, I found your blog through Katy Lin at The Great Adventure!

I am doing a very similar reading plan - I actually found it through John MacArthur's book How To Study The Bible! The only difference between my plan and yours is that I'm not reading Psalms everyday.

I'm so glad Katy Lin linked you to her blog - I'll be back here to visit often!

Tracy said...

Bible in a year. There are old and new testament reading for each day. I don't get through in a year, but it keeps me reading on track.