How to Read the Bible without a Bible Reading Plan
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I used to follow Bible reading plans religiously—until I realised they were holding me back.
For years, I used structured plans to guide my daily reading, and I’ve read the Bible cover to cover multiple times. But over the years, I realised that these plans weren’t helping me grow in the way I wanted. So, I made a change—and it transformed my time in God’s Word.
I no longer use a Bible Reading plan to guide my daily Bible reading.
Don’t get me wrong; I still prioritise Bible reading. I love God’s word and believe the wisdom and truth of scripture are essential for an abundant life. I believe we should read the whole Bible. But reading plans have their limitations. Over time I found a new joy in my faith journey when I ditched my traditional reading plan. I’ll go into details about what I do instead in a minute.
Things I don’t love about Bible reading plans:
1. They split up the narrative. In an effort to split the Bible into even daily readings, stories get cut off and re-started in places that don’t make sense. Other plans list the same number of chapters to read each day. But chapter length varies a lot. Some days you will read for 10 minutes, and some days for 40 minutes.
2. They send you all over the place. To prevent us from getting bogged down and discouraged in one part of the Bible, many reading plans pick bits from different books to read each day. This isn’t so bad if you’re the kind of person who likes reading 2 or 3 different books at a time, but you lose the flow of all the books.
3. They feel like a box-ticking exercise. So many times, I’ve gotten discouraged by the little date at the top of the reading plan, reminding me how many days behind I am, confirming I am a failure at being a good Christian.
4. They don’t fit with real life. Reading plans assume you have the same amount of time to read every day. This just isn’t realistic. Some days you need to read one verse and be still in God’s presence. Some days you can sit and read the afternoon away. Bible reading plans don’t allow for this.
What I do instead:
I follow a Bible Reading Tracker that shows me visually a list of the books of the Bible and the number of chapters in each book. There are no dates. There is no prescribed order.
1. I Read One Book at a Time
Each book tells its own story. Like any book, there are themes and context, character and narrative. When we read a book of the Bible all the way through, we get a better understanding of its message.
Often we read the Bible in little snippets. We pick out pithy verses to quote and memorise. That’s great!
But when we read these verses in the context of the whole book they are quoted from, the meaning can be quite different.
There are lots of examples I could highlight. In Matthew 19:26, Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.” This is a wonderful encouragement for us when we face seemingly impossible challenges. Go to Matthew 19 and read the whole chapter to find out what Jesus was really talking about. It’s not what you might think.
2. I Read at My Own Pace
There is no right or wrong. It depends on what is going on in my life at the time. Some days I don’t read any at all. I focus on my ‘verse of the week’ when I journal in the morning and then get on with my day with no guilt. Some days I spend the whole afternoon reading through the book of Exodus and relive the excitement of God rescuing His people from slavery.
3. I Focus On Relationship Over Routine
I can focus on my relationship with God rather than ticking a religious box. The Bible is God’s story of the redemption of humanity. Reading the Bible builds my relationship with my Saviour. It reminds me of truth. It fills me with hope. It challenges my selfish behaviours and attitudes. When I don’t have a dated list to follow, it feels more relational and less religious. I am never ‘behind’ or ‘ahead’. I am just following Jesus and enjoying the process of getting to know Him more.
4. I Read the Whole Bible
I read through the whole Bible before I re-read a book. That’s the main reason why I keep track of what I’ve read on a piece of paper. Some books are easier to read than others. The Bible was written in a very different time and culture to our own. But that’s no excuse to skip the hard bits. There are now loads of great resources that can help. You can read the introductions to books on the You Version app. You can watch overview videos on The Bible Project. Or invest in a good Bible Handbook.
I also read from different translations sometimes. I was getting bogged down in the prophets last year, so I read some in the Message paraphrase (not one I usually use.) I enjoy the New Living Translation as well. Both are available for free on the You Version App (along with many more.)
5. I Read Books In One Sitting
With a Bible Reading Tracker I can easily see how long each book is. Did you know there are 23 (out of 66) books with five chapters or less? You could read a third of the books in the Bible in less than a month if you read one book a day. I find seeing each book represented visually makes it more accessible. Occasionally I tick off the chapters I read as I go, but usually, I read the whole book and cross off the chapters at the end.
The most important thing is to engage with the Bible regularly, in whatever way works best for you. I wrote this post with 16 different ways to engage with the Bible. There is something that will work for you, whatever season you are in.
If a Bible reading plan is working for you, awesome! Keep going. But, if you are struggling to keep up or finding it difficult to find one that you love, you might want to try this method instead.
If you’re ready to break free from rigid reading plans and experience more joy in your daily time with God, download my FREE Bible Reading Tracker. Print it, keep it in your Bible, and start reading at your own pace today.
