READING THROUGH THE BIBLE in 2024

The Bible is the story of our life with God – it’s God’s Word for his people and it is our own spiritual journal. We come to the Bible seeking knowledge, understanding, and transformation and though these sixty-six diverse books reveal a great deal about God, about our world, and about ourselves, this is not the only reason to read the Bible. God’s Spirit uses our reading of Scripture to reshape our hearts and minds so that we become more like Christ. It is this reshaping, this renewing of ourselves, that has brought many of us to this one-year Bible reading journey.
 

Read with us! We will learn more about God on this journey, but even more, we will come to know God better. Growing closer to God and becoming more mature Christians includes the practice of regular Bible reading! Not surprisingly, being a disciple entails living a more disciplined life and one of the Christian disciplines is regular Bible reading and study. How long are the readings for each day?

The typical reading consists of three or four chapters so 20 minutes a day ought to be plenty of time to finish the reading at a leisurely pace. This is no place for speed reading – a slower pace will let the Word seep into your mind and heart a little better.
 

Which Bible should I read?

There are many excellent English translations of the Bible. In the Methodist Church we most often use the NRSV translation because the translators sought to be as close to the ancient Hebrew and Greek as reasonably possible. It can be a little difficult to understand in spots, so we also recommend using the CEB (Common English Bible), NIV (New International Version) but also an easier-to-read translation the NLT (New Living Translation). Eugene Peterson’s biblical paraphrase The Message is a great choice for leisure reading or if you are just beginning your journey into the Bible. Bear in mind, however, that to get an “easier” translation, the translation is further from the original Hebrew and Greek. PLEASE JOIN US … download the Daily Bible Readings, daily questions and Bible tips and suggestions below.
 
 

Click here for Tips & Bible Suggestions for Reading Through the Bible

 

What reading plan will we use?

Rather than reading from Genesis straight through to Revelation, we will be using the Discipleship Journal  “Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan.” This will enable us to read a book, such as Romans, in its entirety, and still move back and forth from the Old and New Testaments during the year. The Discipleship Journal plan should also help you to grasp the Bible’s over-arching story. Contact the church at 903-342-6172 or EMAIL US now if you want a hard copy of anything.