Starting today, I plan to share with this forum some of the articles I have submitted to the newspaper with the hope that it will be beneficial to the reader in reading and studying the Bible. As you can see below, I have included a reading schedule. Later, I plan to add to this thread articles that emphasize the importance of reading the Bible daily.


180 Day Bible Reading Schedule
Start Date:

Finish Date:

Total Number of Days:

All readings should be completed in one sitting. In order to obtain the maximum benefit from you efforts, read out loud and read every day.

Day 1: Genesis 1:1-6:8
Day 2: Genesis 6:9-11:26
Day 3: Genesis 11:27-19:38
Day 4: Genesis 20:1-25:11
Day 5: Genesis 25:12-30:43
Day 6: Genesis 31:1-36:43
Day 7: Genesis 37:1-41:57
Day 8: Genesis 42:1-46:34
Day 9: Genesis 47:1-50:26
Day 10: Exodus 1:1-7:7
Day 11: Exodus 7:8-12:51
Day 12: Exodus 13:1-18:27
Day 13: Exodus 19:1-24:18
Day 14: Exodus 25:1-31:18
Day 15: Exodus 32:1-34:35
Day 16: Exodus 35:1-40:38
Day 17: Leviticus 1:1-6:7
Day 18: Leviticus 6:8-10:20
Day 19: Leviticus 11:1-15:33
Day 20: Leviticus 16:1-22:33
Day 21: Leviticus 23:1-27:34
Day 22: Numbers 1:1-5:31
Day 23: Numbers 6:1-10:36
Day 24: Numbers 11:1-17:13
Day 25: Numbers 18:1-24:25
Day 26: Numbers 25:1-31:54
Day 27: Numbers 32:1-36:13
Day 28: Deuteronomy 1:1-4:49
Day 29: Deuteronomy 5:1-11:32
Day 30: Deuteronomy 12:1-18:22
Day 31: Deuteronomy 19:1-26:19
Day 32: Deuteronomy 27:1-30:20
Day 33: Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12
Day 34: Joshua 1:1-6:27
Day 35: Joshua 7:1-12:24
Day 36: Joshua 13:1-19:51
Day 37: Joshua 20:1-24:33
Day 38: Judges 1:1-5:31
Day 39: Judges 6:1-10:5
Day 40: Judges 10:6-16:31
Day 41: Judges 17:1-21:25
Day 42: Ruth
Day 43: 1 Samuel 1:1-7:17
Day 44: 1 Samuel 8:1-15:35
Day 45: 1 Samuel 16:1-22:23
Day 46: 1 Samuel 23:1-31:13
Day 47: 2 Samuel 1:1-8:18
Day 48: 2 Samuel 9:1-14:33
Day 49: 2 Samuel 15:1-20:26
Day 50: 2 Samuel 21:1-24:25
Day 51: 1 Kings 1:1-5:18
Day 52: 1 Kings 6:1-11:43
Day 53: 1 Kings 12:1-16:34
Day 54: 1 Kings 17:1-22:53
Day 55: 2 Kings 1:1-7:20
Day 56: 2 Kings 8:1-13:25
Day 57: 2 Kings 14:1-20:21
Day 58: 2 Kings 21:1-25:30
Day 59: 1 Chronicles 1:1-5:26
Day 60: 1 Chronicles 6:1-10:14
Day 61: 1 Chronicles 11:1-18:17
Day 62: 1 Chronicles 19:1-26:32
Day 63: 1 Chron. 27:1- 2 Chron 5:14
Day 64: 2 Chronicles 6:1-12:16
Day 65: 2 Chronicles 13:1-20:37
Day 66: 2 Chronicles 21:1-28:27
Day 67: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36:23
Day 68: Ezra
Day 69: Nehemiah 1:1-6:19
Day 70: Nehemiah 7:1-13:31
Day 71: Esther
Day 72: Job 1:1-14:22
Day 73: Job 15:1-28:28
Day 74: Job 29:1-37:24
Day 75: Job 38:1-42:17
Day 76: Psalms 1-12
Day 77: Psalms 13-24
Day 78: Psalms 25-36
Day 79: Psalms 37-48
Day 80: Psalms 69-60
Day 81: Psalms 61-72
Day 82: Psalms 73-82
Day 83: Psalms 83-94
Day 84: Psalms 95-106
Day 85: Psalms 107-118
Day 86: Psalms 119-130
Day 87: Psalms 131-140
Day 88: Psalms 141-150
Day 89: Proverbs 1:1-9:18
Day 90: Proverbs 10:1-15:33
Day 91: Proverbs 16:1-22:16
Day 92: Proverbs 22:17-26:28
Day 93: Proverbs 27:1-31:31
Day 94: Ecclesiastes
Day 95: Song of Solomon
Day 96: Isaiah 1:1-6:13
Day 97: Isaiah 7:1-12:6
Day 98: Isaiah 13:1-20:6
Day 99: Isaiah 21:1-27:13
Day 100: Isaiah 28:1-35:10
Day 101: Isaiah 36:1-39:8
Day 102: Isaiah 40:1-48:22
Day 103: Isaiah 49:1-54:17
Day 104: Isaiah 55:1-66:24
Day 105: Jeremiah 1:1-6:30
Day 106: Jeremiah 7:1-12:17
Day 107: Jeremiah 13:1-20:18
Day 108: Jeremiah 21:1-28:17
Day 109: Jeremiah 29:1-33:26
Day 110: Jeremiah 34:1-39:18
Day 111: Jeremiah 40:1-45:5
Day 112: Jeremiah 46:1-49:39
Day 113: Jeremiah 50:1-52:34
Day 114: Lamentations
Day 115: Ezekiel 1:1-7:27
Day 116: Ezekiel 8:1-13:23
Day 117: Ezekiel 14:1-19:14
Day 118: Ezekiel 20:1-24:27
Day 119: Ezekiel 25:1-32:32
Day 120: Ezekiel 33:1-39:29
Day 121: Ezekiel 40:1-43:11
Day 122: Ezekiel 43:12-48:35
Day 123: Daniel 1:1-4:37
Day 124: Daniel 5:1-7:28
Day 125: Daniel 8:1-12:13
Day 126: Hosea
Day 127: Joel
Day 128: Amos
Day 129: Obadiah
Day 130: Jonah
Day 131: Micah
Day 132: Nahum
Day 133: Habakkuk
Day 134: Zephaniah
Day 135: Haggai
Day 136: Zechariah
Day 137: Malachi
Day 138: Matthew 1:1-7:29
Day 139: Matthew 8:1-13:53
Day 140: Matthew 13:54-19:2
Day 141: Matthew 19:3-26:2
Day 142: Matthew 26:3-28:20
Day 143: Mark 1:1-6:6
Day 144: Mark 6:7-10:52
Day 145: Mark 11:1-16:20
Day 146: John 1:1-7:52
Day 147: John 7:53-11:57
Day 148: John 12:1-17:26
Day 149: John 18:1-21:25
Day 150: Luke 1:1-4:30
Day 151: Luke 4:31-9:50
Day 152: Luke 9:51-14:35
Day 153: Luke 15:1-19:44
Day 154: Luke 19:45-24:53
Day 155: Acts 1:1-6:15
Day 156: Acts 7:1-12:25
Day 157: Acts 13:1-18:22
Day 158: Acts 18:23-23:35
Day 159: Acts 24:1-28:31
Day 160: Romans 1:1-8:39
Day 161: Romans 9:1-16:27
Day 162: 1 Corinthians 1:1-6:20
Day 163: 1 Corinthians 7:1-16:24
Day 164: 2 Corinthians
Day 165: Galatians
Day 166: Ephesians
Day 167: Philippians
Day 168: Colossians / Philemon
Day 169: 1 & 2 Thessalonians
Day 170: 1 & 2 Timothy
Day 171: Titus
Day 172: Hebrews 1:1-7:28
Day 173: Hebrews 8:1-13:25
Day 174: James
Day 175: 1 Peter
Day 176: 2 Peter & Jude
Day 177: 1, 2 & 3 John
Day 178: Revelation 1:1-8:5
Day 179: Revelation 8:6-16:21
Day 180: Revelation 17:1-22:21

Suggested Variations:
1. Do two readings per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. You will finish in 90 days.

2. Do two readings per day Monday through Friday and one reading each Saturday and Sunday. You will finish in 105 days.

3. Do one reading each day, Monday through Friday, and two readings per day on Saturday and Sunday. This will get you through the Bible in 140 days.

Thanks for this. I am in a spiritual crisis right now and am struggling in my walk. I am an engineering type and given to structure so I love rules and structure. I will use this as my guide in the coming days.

You have blessed me several times since coming here even though we have our differences.

Good idea Abraham, this is a good thing. How long do you think it should take per day?

I hope I can stick to a program like this.

This is a good thing,we all should get in the habit of reading the Bible daily-----for me i need to a whole lot more then i do.
Keep this going Ab.

When I read it's gotten very sporadic. I lack the discipline I once had in it. This will be good for me also. I need the accountability.

Abraham,

Can you figure a way to hold us accountable to read the Bible.

quote:

Originally posted by Mississippi Dreamin:
Abraham,

Can you figure a way to hold us accountable to read the Bible.

Dreamin, I think the answer to your request is contained in the following article I submitted to the newspaper previously. There were a few other articles I wrote to establish the "fact" that we are obligated to read the Bible daily. I hope to post those a little later. Please share with me what you think about it. And if you think it is worthy of your consideration, feel free to pass this on to others.

If my memory serves me well, I remember singing a song with many of "Little brother's" friends. Maybe you remember it too. The name of the song I think was "Pass it on." Some of the words of this song that apply here are: "It only takes a spark, to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up in it's glowing. That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it, it's fresh like spring, you want to sing, you want to pass it on." It has been my experience that once our desire for God's word becomes a fire, "it's fresh like spring..and you want to pass it on."

quote:

Making Bible Reading a Priority

In earlier articles we studied scriptures which show us that we are obligated to read the Bible regularly. This includes the idea of reading the whole Bible. After all, Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God...” (Matt. 4:4). Those who truly love God and desire truth will read the Bible daily with a view toward reading it in its entirety on a regular basis.
Still, many among us who agree about the obligation find it difficult to set aside some of our time for daily Bible reading. Here are some suggestions which will help to achieve our goal:


1. Make Bible reading a priority.
When something is important enough to us, we will make sure it is done first. If we give Bible reading first place, we will schedule the necessary time needed.

2. Eliminate whatever might get in the way
“Ask yourself what one thing is most likely to get in the way of your Bible reading. It might be television or video games or whatever. For me it was light fiction. When I first got serious about reading the Bible every day, I decided to quit all light reading for a month. When the month was over, I found that I wasn't that interested in reading fiction. I wanted truth. I think this will be most people's experience. If people will make time for the Bible and read it regularly they will love it. I would strongly encourage anyone who is beginning a daily Bible reading program to eliminate whatever they feel might get in the way.” (Sid Latham, evangelist)

3. Build in accountability.
In support of this point, Sid said the following. “Back in December (2005) I did a couple of lessons that strongly encouraged people to read their Bibles every day. One of the guys here came to me and said that he was going to find some other people to do it with him. He set up a web blog. There are eight of us who report in every week. If someone doesn't read we try to encourage them. Obviously you wouldn't have to do this on the Internet. We have a lot of people here who work with computers and it works for us. The important thing is that Christians encourage one another on a regular basis. Most of us will try harder if we know someone is going to ask” us about our effort.

4. Pray to God for help.
Ask Him to help YOU, and ask Him to also help others to attain this goal of daily Bible reading. He has promised to help those who ask for it!

Reading the Bible at least twice a year is a small investment of time for something so important. May I encourage you to print out the "180 Day Bible Reading Schedule." Begin today a never-ending journey of reading the Bible in its entirety at least twice a year. All readings should be completed in one sitting. In order to obtain the maximum benefit from you efforts, read out loud, and read every day!

“The Bible is compared to food–the spiritual man will starve without it. The Bible is compared with nourishment – we will wither without it (Acts 20:32; I Peter 2:2). The Bible, word of God, is the seed of spiritual life. No Bible, no life (Luke 8:11; James 1:18; I Corinthians 4:15). We can't answer for our hope without it --I Peter 3:15; Acts 17:11. We can't be approved of God without it -- II Timothy 2:15. It's doctrine will save those who hear it --I Timothy 4:16" (Larry Hafley).

Finally, my friends -- we listen to those we love. If we are not interested in listening to God (reading the Bible), then we simply do not love God!

quote:

Originally posted by Fozz625:
Thanks for this. I am in a spiritual crisis right now and am struggling in my walk. I am an engineering type and given to structure so I love rules and structure. I will use this as my guide in the coming days.

You have blessed me several times since coming here even though we have our differences.

I am happy to be of service to you and everyone else. I hope to continue to be a blessing in service to God. We all have our struggles. I pray that God will help you through them. Daily reading the Scriptures will help you get through your struggles too. Thanks so much for your encouraging words.

3. Build in accountability.
In support of this point, Sid said the following. “Back in December (2005) I did a couple of lessons that strongly encouraged people to read their Bibles every day. One of the guys here came to me and said that he was going to find some other people to do it with him. He set up a web blog. There are eight of us who report in every week. If someone doesn't read we try to encourage them. Obviously you wouldn't have to do this on the Internet. We have a lot of people here who work with computers and it works for us. The important thing is that Christians encourage one another on a regular basis. Most of us will try harder if we know someone is going to ask” us about our effort.



Maybe this is something those who would like to be accountable could do here. Any ideas?

SJ,

You or Abraham could start a thread,


Name it something cute, and people could check in daily, if people on board don't check in a few nag emails to see if that got em going (may be me)

I started this morning, but I really dont want to sound the trumpet thinking I may not follow through.

I started the new plan this morning also.
Your idea sounds good Dreamin'....let's see what Abraham says about it.

quote:

Originally posted by SandraJ:
I started the new plan this morning also.
Your idea sounds good Dreamin'....let's see what Abraham says about it.

It sounds good to me. Fozz625 and TRUISAM, what do you all think about this idea? Sandra, I am glad you started the new plan too.

I think I wrote the following article about nine years ago. For those of us who are not following a reading plan, I hope you will consider the message of this article.

Reading the Bible from Cover to Cover

We should read the Bible from cover to cover. We should want to know what the Lord said.
Many of us, while acknowledging that the Bible is the word of God, have not read it in its entirety. We have been hindered from reading the Bible completely for several reasons. It is my hope and prayer that we would be rid of all obstacles to the hearing and reading of God's word.
We must realize that the Lord expects us to read all the Bible. The Lord said on one occasion, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). Not live by some words, but by every word of God. Thus we need to read every word of God. We need to be like the Bereans who "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
These Scriptures should dispel the idea that we need only read some of the scriptures. This notion would cause us to be judges of what in the Bible was important. But "every word of God is pure" (Proverbs 30:5).
Then, we may make ourselves a promise to read all the Bible, but it does not get done. But other things are getting done. Television shows are watched, other books and magazines are read, and our time is spent on other things. If this happens, then we simply have not made the precious words of our Creator a priority. Whatever is most important should be done first.
But isn't understanding the Bible important? But can you understand what you have not read? Paul, commenting on what he wrote, said, "By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3:3-4). If we are not careful, we may get the idea that our understanding comes from something or someone else apart from our reading God's word, which would be contrary to what the Bible says. In order to enter the house of understanding, we must go through the door of reading or hearing the word for ourselves. Thus, Timothy was told to "give attention to reading" (I Timothy 4:13).
When Jesus was confronted with a question, He showed where we should seek answers for spiritual inquiry. "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" (Luke 10:25-26).
Let us also notice that Jesus did not refer the questioner to his own dreams for an answer (see Jeremiah 23:28). Jesus did not suggest the man's own opinions as a source for the answer to his question. Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches us to trust the Lord, which is to trust what He says in His word. In this way our steps are guided as we follow God's Word. "Your word is a lamp to my feet. And a light to my path" (Psalms 119:104).
To this question, Jesus did not appeal to other non-Biblical religious writings. Let other books be read, but do not use them as a substitute for the reading of the Bible. And never believe that the reading of the Bible is incomplete without these other books.
There may be many of us who agree that all the Bible should be regularly read. We might say, "I read the Bible every day, but I simply have not read it all." If I believe that I can seriously read the Bible for several years and not complete it, I have one or both of two problems. Either I am reading the same passages of scriptures, thus not "adding to my faith virtue, to virtue knowledge" (II Peter 1:5) or I am not reading as much as I think I am.
There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible. If I read 4 chapters of the Bible every day starting January 1, I would have read the entire Bible by October 26. If I can read the whole Bible in as short a time as a year by reading as few scriptures as four chapters a day, it should become clear that within 10 or 15 years I ought to have read all the Bible, God's Holy Word.
Any of us who go a lifetime without reading all of the Bible while believing we are working toward that goal are not spending as much time in God's Word as we have made ourselves believe.
I am not contending that we read the whole Bible only one time. Rather, we must make the reading of the whole Bible a regular part of our lives. If we do not read the entire Bible for ourselves, then we have only the opinions of others and they are doing our thinking for us.
Lets let our attitude be that of David writing in Psalm 119. "Therefore I love your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold" (vs 127). "How sweet are your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth" (vs. 103). "Oh how I love Your law It is my meditation all the day" (vs. 97). If we truly are "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6), then we will read the Bible from cover to cover
"Blessed is he who reads ..." (Revelation 1:3).

I read mine today,thanks again Ab.--this could get me back into it again.
Hey, the plan sounds good you all go for it and i am all for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Fozz625:
Thanks for this. I am in a spiritual crisis right now and am struggling in my walk. I am an engineering type and given to structure so I love rules and structure. I will use this as my guide in the coming days.

You have blessed me several times since coming here even though we have our differences.

Just a quick sidenote: Fozz, what kind of engineering? Civil?