Bible Reading Plan 2023

BIBLE READING IN 2023

Each year, we encourage the church to join together in a fresh commitment to engaging God through His Word. What confidence and joy we have as we approach our Bibles, that ”All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17). Following a Bible reading plan helps us approach scripture in a regular and consistent way, allows us to avoid reading just favorite passages, and gives us a path to experience the entire story of the Bible. If you are part of a discipleship group, following a plan together in God's word is an essential help in allowing scripture to be the foundation of our discipling and care.  

We all fight for time management, and one area that can so easily slip from our priorities is our connection with the Living God though his Word. Maybe you have struggled thinking, "I just don't have time!" We all have more time for Bible reading than we think (check out this article and some illuminating info graphs, with revealing facts such as with just reading 12 minutes you can finish the entire Bible in 1 year).

Our hope is God will not only fill our minds with His glorious truth, but fill our hearts with increased affections! We want informed minds, but also hearts stirred toward love and trust in God. (Here are a couple recommended articles - advice on Bible reading and approaching reading slower & fast). 

A RECOMMENDED PLAN

The reading plan we recommend follows half of the Robert Murray M’Cheyne reading plan (only 2 chapters of the 4). It is designed to read through the entire New Testament, Psalms, and 1/2 of the Old Testament each year. (The second year, will complete the OT portion, and again through the NT and Psalms. If the 2 chapters seem too much, commit to reading only 1 of the readings/chapters.).

You can get printed copies of the plan on Sunday morning.

You can follow a digital copy of the printed version here.

You can explore your Bible app, for many incorporate the plan. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

As you navigate various passages, reading in an informed way is a goal, such as understanding the author’s purpose, themes, and context. Here are few companions to your Bible reading that we would recommend for you:

"Read the Bible” Devotional

One way way to infuse your d-group's reading with encouragement, application, and learning is to follow the Gospel Coalition's Read The Bible devotional. This daily devotional Bible commentary follows the M’Cheyne Yearly Bible Reading Plan. Read or listen to the passages and then explore the devotional commentary and related resources for deeper study. You can find it in many formats like subscribe via podcast or daily emails. 

For the Love of God – Devotional

“For the Love of God” is an excellent devotional commentary written by DA Carson. Carson takes one of the daily Bible readings from M’Cheyne’s guide, explains it and shows how it is placed in the context of the whole Bible for understanding and application.

You can get a FREE PDF of the book here. (Carson - Volume 2)

Study Bible

We would recommend a study Bible to help you in your reading. We recommend the ESV Study Bible. A study Bible brings understanding to each book of the Bible, outlines, background, and helpful commentary on difficult passages. We have several ESV Study Bibles at discounted prices available at the resource center.