Bible Reading Plans, Part 1

I think it is good to have a systematic way to read through the Bible. And, as it had been my desire for a long time to read the whole Bible, I have collected Bible reading plans.

There are individual reading plans and Bible studies that take you through scripture in a systematic way.

Bible Studies
These methodical Bible studies are different from topical Bible studies. In a topical Bible study, you might, for example, study the fruit of the spirit or a person in the Bible. I much prefer Bible studies based on a book (or books) of the Bible. I recently read Honey for a Woman's Heart (or here) by Gladys Hunt and saw that she said something similar.

Individual Reading Plans
For the individual plans, there are read-the-Bible-in-one-year plans, read-the-Bible-in-more-than-one-year plans and read-the-Bible-in-less-than-one-year plans. (I guess that is a case of stating the obvious!) These "plans" include Bibles specially arranged for daily readings!

Bible Studies
Here are some of my favorite Bible studies.

Disciple Bible Studies. The first one I did was Disciple I. This program ran from September through May and if you read all the assignments, you read about 70% of the Bible. A wonderful overview to the whole book! This was my first Bible study ever and it is the one I remember most fondly. (The other Disciple Bible studies focus on a more limited portion of scripture. They are good, too!)

Bible Study Fellowship (or BSF). Another nine-month Bible study that follows the school year (August or September through May). There are seven classes:

• Matthew
• The Life of Moses
• John
• History of Israel and the Minor Prophets
• Acts of the Apostles
• Genesis
• Romans

And there are recommended readings for the summer. I don't know how much of the Bible you would read if you did all the classes and the summer readings, but you would have an excellent foundation in Bible study.

Another Bible study is a radio Bible study called Thru the Bible. It is broadcast Monday through Friday. As their website says:

Thru the Bible takes the listener through the entire Bible in just five years, threading back and forth between the Old and New Testaments. Because we start over again with Genesis after we've concluded Revelation, you can "get aboard the Bible bus" at any time. If you stay with us for five years you won't miss any part of the Bible.

Notes: 1) these were recorded in the late 1960's and early 1970's and 2) Dr. McGee has a thick Texas accent. I like it, but I am sure it drives others crazy!

And one for the home: Bible Study Guide for All Ages. I really like this program, too. How long it takes you to get through the whole Bible depends on how many lessons you do a week. There are four units and each unit has 102 lessons. At the rate of two lessons a week, you finish the unit in one year. This is what you cover.

Part 2, coming sometime soon but not necessarily right away, will be about individual reading plans.