Sermon Supplement on Bible Reading and Study Plans

Reading the Bible daily, even in small portions, will significantly form and shape our lives and perspective. Study after study indicates that it is the most impacting of all the spiritual disciplines.

Daily (meaning most days) is the key. Reading widely in the Bible is also a key. We want the whole counsel of God. Actually reading the Bible is a key (as opposed to a daily devotional, which is good but doesn’t replace Bible reading).

So this doesn’t have to be complicated.

But we live in amazing times when it comes to resources for the study of and reflection on Scripture.

It’s fortunate because the sheer number and power of the resources that would take us in other directions are increasingly powerful and prevalent.

So here are some “study plans” that can help you get more out of your Bible reading and study:

  • Take the Sermon Application Guide seriously and study (take your time) each week in preparation for your small group meeting. Our sermon series work through books or sections of the Old and New Testaments, as well as a number of theological topics throughout the year.

  • Join a Bible study group through our church or through Bible Study Fellowship.

  • For reading through the Bible in a year, check out the plans in the YouVersion app. I think the ones that supplement the reading with BibleProject videos look most interesting. There are at least three different BibleProject options for reading through the Bible in a year. But if you do a search within the plans section of the YouVersion app for “BibleProject,” there are many other plans that will eventually take you through the whole Bible, but I think it will do it at a slower and more realistic pace. And remember that you can listen to the text if reading is difficult for you,

  • Several people have raved to me about The Bible Recap podcast which includes a chronological reading plan and daily 8-minute commentaries/devotionals. It takes you through the whole Bible in one year.

  • There’s also paperback chronological reading Bibles that have devotionals and commentary for each day. We used this as a church for a year nearly 20 years ago. We used The Daily Walk Bible at that time. I just pulled it off the shelf and it’s fun looking through some of my underlining that permeates every page.

  • The BibleProject has a new app with a section called “The Journey.” This is a self-paced approach to reading the Bible and learning to see the links/themes as you read.

  • The BibleProject also has seminary-level learning in what they call “Classroom.” Take a look here at the growing number of self-paced courses they now offer. There’s a group of us doing a weekly Lunch & Learn through the “Heaven and Earth” study based on Genesis 1:1–2:3. It’s amazing!

Whatever plan you choose, it goes better if you start small, establishing new habits. And it usually works best if you journey together with others, so invite others along for the ride.

Photo by Anupam Mahapatra on Unsplash