Active Theology

Bible-in-a-year plans haven’t worked for me. I’ve tried numerous times and have failed. Sometimes I blame it on my lack of discipline, other times I blame it on my season of life (especially when welcoming a newborn into the family). For whatever reason, it just hasn’t worked.

I get it, though – having a plan provides a path for successfully reading through the Bible. Shoutout to Tara Leigh Cobble and the Bible Recap for getting so many people on board with reading the Bible in a year. It’s awesome. I tried it. But I tried it the same year that my daughter was born on February 1, which gave me 31 days to establish a rhythm and then completely disrupt it, only to never return.

Reflecting on my experience with Bible-in-a-year plans, I think my failure is partly due to my desire to take my time, do an in-depth study, and soak it all in. Whenever I was doing a yearly plan, I felt like I was rushing through my reading assignment to just check the box and stay on track for the next day. I would get frustrated if I didn’t finish the reading and knew there would be some catching up in the days ahead.

With all of that said, this year I’m taking a different approach. Oddly enough, I was inspired by my favorite cyclist, Lachlan Morton, and his epic route along the continental divide. He started his ride with every intention to break the time record, but he never kept track of his progress for 12.5 days! Even when he got to the end he wasn’t sure if he broke the record. A friend had to give him the results and let him know he had beaten the previous record. So this year, I’m not tracking my time. Instead, I’m taking my time.

Scripture gives a picture of this. As Psalm 1 describes the “blessed person”, the author says…

“…his delight is in the Law of the Lord. And on His Law he meditates day and night.” (Ps. 1:2, NASB)

I find it difficult to delight and meditate on God’s Word when I’m rushing my reading and trying to stay on track. 

I’ve always desired to read through the Bible chronologically, so I did some searching and found a helpful video from Bible Review Blog. I bought an NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible from Tyndale and a journal to keep track of my notes. This Bible gets me excited to read and study God’s Word.

My wife also created a Bible Reading Tracker to help me mark off my progress and stay motivated to keep reading. I want to share this resource with you, so you can click here to find the tracker and download it for yourself!

This is just my experience though. Everyone has their preference and a method that works for them. God has graciously given us Scripture as a way to know Him, understand His will for our lives, and know our Savior Jesus Christ. So however you decide to approach Bible reading, the main point is that you’re reading God’s Word, delighting in it, and connecting with Him.

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.