Read through the Bible in 2007

Beloved,

We are just two days away from the start of a new year. I know most of us will probably have a list of resolutions that we will attempt to accomplish in 2007. Number one on my list of New Year's Resolutions is to read through the Bible this upcoming year. I believe time spent in the Word of God along with prayer to be the best investment of one's time.

As I studied and meditated upon Psalm 1 today, I was once again reminded of the importance of God's Holy Word in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

1:1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Psalm 1:1-3, English Standard Version

"To meditate in God's word, is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with close application of mind and fixedness of thought. We must have constant regard to the word of God, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day. For this purpose no time is amiss." ~ Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

"Scripture reading is our spiritual meal-time." ~ How to Read the Bible, Charles Haddon Spurgeon

First we start with a plan. The old saying about planning is true: "To fail to plan is a plan to fail." Here are five online plans from the ESV website which you can you can subscribe to using RSS. For more information about RSS, please see the official RSS page or a more practical explanation of how to use RSS. As you follow an online ESV plan, you can listen to Marquis Laughlin's powerful narration of the ESV New Testament as well as Max McLean's reading of the entire ESV Bible. These two audio bibles will enrich your time spent in the Scriptures.

Through the Bible in a Year (RSS). The online version of the popular tract. Each day includes a reading from the Old Testament and New Testament. Starting in Genesis and Matthew, the readings continue sequentially—over the course of a year, you never read the same passage twice. This is the plan that I will be following for 2007.

The One Year® Bible (RSS). The popular One Year Bible format features a reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Millions of people have discovered how to read through God's entire Word using The One Year Bible. This best-selling daily reading Bible divides the text into 365 sections, so you can read through the entire Bible in one unforgettable year—in as little as 15 minutes a day. In one year, you read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Proverbs once, and the Psalms twice.

Daily Reading Bible (RSS). Follows the reading plan found in the ESV Daily Reading Bible. Each day has one Old Testament reading, one New Testament reading, and one reading from the Psalms. You read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice over a year.

One Year Bible Reading Plan (RSS). This tract is based on the M'Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings for use in both family and personal devotions. Each day has two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.

Chronological (RSS). Read the events of the Bible as they occurred chronologically. For example, the Book of Job is integrated with Genesis because Job lived before Abraham. You read through the whole Bible exactly one time over a year. This reading plan is copyright Back to the Bible.

Here are some links to one year Bible reading plans in PDF Format which you can print out and carry with you. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can download from Adobe.

Old and New Testament Together - Read the Old Testament and New Testament together. Your knowledge of the Old Testament will be enhanced by what you read simultaneously in the New Testament.

Beginning to End - With this guide there are no surprises. You simply read through the Bible from start to finish, from Genesis to Revelation.

Chronological - Read the events of the Bible as they occurred chronologically. For example, the Book of Job is integrated with Genesis since Job lived around the same time as Abraham.

Historical - Read the books of the Bible as they occurred in the Hebrew and Greek traditions (the order in which they were written). For example, the Old Testament books in the Hebrew Bible do not occur in the same order as they do in our English Bible. The New Testament books are arranged according to their date of writing as well.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne - This Through The Bible Plan was written by the Scottish preacher Robert Murray M'Cheyne for his congregation. The readings in the left hand column are to be read by the entire family as a family. The readings on the left are individual (or “secret” as M'Cheyne called them) readings. They are meant to be read during personal devotion time.

Finally, I want to bring to your attention e-Sword. It is a free Bible Study Software program that will help you study and understand what you are reading in your Bible. Rick Myers author of the program said, "e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Bible. e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free software package. The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not speak of the quality of the software." Included in the e-Sword program is a customizable Bible Reading Plan Wizard. I highly recommend this program which you can download or make a donation of at least fifteen dollars for an "e-Sword CD that contains nearly all of the downloads available on the website." A free Pocket e-Sword is also available for download for use on Microsoft Pocket PC platforms. You can have a seminary library with you wherever you go!

"Bible study is the metal that makes a Christian; this is the strong meat on which holy men are nourished; this is that which makes the bone and sinew of men who keep God’s way in defiance of every adversary." ~ The Fair Portrait of a Saint, Charles Haddon Spurgeon

But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~ Matthew 4:4, English Standard Version

May God richly bless us as we journey through the Bible in 2007.

Soli Deo Gloria!

In Christ,

Des