Some Bible Reading Plans

I was recently asked if I knew of any good Bible-in-a-Year reading programs and I had to admit that I didn’t. I know many exist, but most of them break the Bible into small pieces – some Old Testament, some New Testament, and a Psalm each day. This approach can be useful, but I think the weakness of such a program is that the reader is unable to see the full arc of scripture. While there are most likely some reading programs providing this sort of view, I was unaware of them so I did what anyone else would do…I made a few of my own.

I hope one of these programs will help you grow in your knowledge of Scripture and your love for the Lord.

1) Table of Contents Bible-in-a-Year Program

This first program is my favorite. By following this program you will read the Bible straight through like you would a book. If you choose this program, I recommend purchasing a Reader’s Bible which eliminates the verse designations and the small paragraph headings. Then just open the front cover and start on page one to read the story of God’s pursuit of fallen man. You can download this program by clicking here: Table of Contents Bible-in-a-Year Program.

2) Chronological Bible-in-a-Year Program

This second program is organized chronologically. This program places the books according to the order in which they were most likely written. While there are many opinions regarding the dating and authorship of the books of the Bible, I have used what I believe to be the most traditional and conservative dates for each book’s authorship. The only exception to this is found in the Old Testament with the five books of Wisdom literature. Much of the content of these books isn’t tied to a specific date so I have placed them, as a group, at the end of the Old Testament. You can access this program by clicking here: Chronological Bible-in-a-Year Program.

3) A Season of Wisdom

This third program requires only a 3-month time commitment. In 90 days you will be taken through all five books of Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament. You can access this program by clicking here: A Season of Wisdom Reading Program.

Extras

I’ve also included some general information that you may find helpful.

First, there is a General Scripture Overview comparing the structure of the Old and New Testaments. I’ve found this broad and general outline to be helpful as it reminds me how each individual book fits into the bigger picture of the Bible. I hope it may be helpful to you as well.

Secondly, there is a table with the Books of the Bible as ordered in the Table of Contents. This contains the order of the books I’ve used for the Bible in a Year – Table of Contents Program found above.

Thirdly, there is a table with the Books of the Bible as ordered by their chronological date of writing. This contains the order and the dates I’ve used for the Bible in a Year – Chronological Program found above. Please note the one major exception is the placement of the wisdom books in the Old Testament.

Here are some quick links for downloading the aforementioned plans and documents. Please feel free to download (and/or distribute) any of the .pdfs of these reading programs. I just ask that you leave my website information on the bottom of each page.


If you have comments or questions please feel free to contact me at onthefoothills@gmail.com.