# Value in reading the Bible in a year?



## wturri78 (Jun 16, 2009)

I've been more or less trying to read through the Bible in a year. In fact I've tried several approaches. I've found often that if I miss a day here or there, I end up speed-reading to make up lost ground and keep to a schedule. Lately I've just been working my way through one OT and one NT book together, reading more chapters in the OT. Obviously speed and number of pages are far less important than being transformed by the Scriptures, but my question primarily is this:

Can anybody besides those with encyclopedic knowledge and photographic memories truly benefit from reading 3-4 chapters of certain books every day? Some OT history books, for example, move along and are easy to follow over many chapters. The same isn't the case for prophetic books. I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read. The number of references, direct or indirect, to geography, history, important people, etc. can be large and even then interpreting prophecies obviously isn't a simple task. So what benefit can a person derive from reading Scriptures without taking the time to meticulously track down references and be sure one understands and retains what was read?

Is it better to just pick one book and take as long as necessary to really work through it? Realizing of course that at that rate one may never touch some parts of the Bible...

Thoughts?


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## Joseph Scibbe (Jun 16, 2009)

I am not a fan of this. It usually becomes a ritual and we tend not to savor the scriptures as well. Plus if you are reading 4 chapters of 3 books a day, you tend to miss a lot. Often times I spend a whole day reading and meditating on a single verse or paragraph.


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## christiana (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!


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## Grymir (Jun 16, 2009)

Hi Wturri78. I was converted by reading the Bible from beginning to end. Reading that way helps alot. Most of the reading programs hop around the Bible.


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## wturri78 (Jun 16, 2009)

christiana said:


> I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
> I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!



I think I'd agree that we need the boundary of daily reading, and that without it we do certainly become sluggish. What are your reasons for spending that daily "boundary" reading time going through multiple chapters/books, rather than spending it on smaller sections?


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## Christian Soldier (Jun 16, 2009)

"I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read." Well, I wish it wasn't the case, but that can be the case for me as well. I personally tend to get more out of my reading if I take my time and sometimes read through a book multiple times before moving on. I wish I could become better at retaining what I have read and I would also like to be able to read faster. I don't know if I can train myself to do this or if its just something that has to come naturally.


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## nasa30 (Jun 16, 2009)

I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.


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## jaybird0827 (Jun 16, 2009)

We have been using the M'Cheyne calendar for over 20 years. It has been a blessing. And it seems that in recent years we have been reaping the benefits of the long-term repetition of reading each book of the Bible. 

The plan calls for reading through part of it privately and part of it in family.

The original version takes you through the OT once and the NT and Psalms twice in 1 year. We did that for several years and found that we had to keep ahead in order to stay on schedule.

TBS publishes a modified form that takes 2 years to read through the OT, with the NT and Psalms being read yearly. Since switching over, we've been able to include additional readings towards the end of each year.


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## galactic reformer (Jun 16, 2009)

christiana said:


> I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
> I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!



Sometimes it has taken me 16 months...but I keep going.


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## christiana (Jun 16, 2009)

> I think I'd agree that we need the boundary of daily reading, and that without it we do certainly become sluggish. What are your reasons for spending that daily "boundary" reading time going through multiple chapters/books, rather than spending it on smaller sections?[



I'm retired and am usually up reading by 4a.m., often even much earlier. Each year I begin in Genesis and read as much as is comfortable, with pondering, cross referencing and such depending on whether I have something scheduled for the day. I usually read an hour or two in the chonological reading and read selectively at other times during the day if and when possible.
This year has been the first exception since beginning that schedule and I had decided to read at random. I've not felt comfortable with this and will return to chronological read through. I've spent a lot of time this year doing repititious reading of different books, 1 John, Psalms, Proverbs.
I have a CD of Romans and another of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1,2,3 John and Jude which I listen to in the car, as read by Max McLean. I'm trying to memorize much of Romans while listening to the CD.
I think the reason for the read through is that it is so hard to remember all the little details of the OT unless I do it this way and keep hammering it in!
I've done the yearly, or nearly yearly read throughs for years and it only seems to get better as I repeat it.
I have never cared for the programs that divide the daily reading between OT and NT and prefer to go straight through.


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## galactic reformer (Jun 16, 2009)

nasa30 said:


> I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.



Exactly. No study method will result in perfect knowledge. Sometimes I am studying single words...sometimes passages...sometimes books...but the one thing I definitely need is repitition which results in a grand overview. 

Not everybody uses the same approach. We even change methods as we journey. However, I'd recomend every new Christian to read through the Bible once, beginning to end. Not that this would be enough...but we gotta start somewhere.


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## christiana (Jun 16, 2009)

Christian Soldier said:


> "I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read." Well, I wish it wasn't the case, but that can be the case for me as well. I personally tend to get more out of my reading if I take my time and sometimes read through a book multiple times before moving on. I wish I could become better at retaining what I have read and I would also like to be able to read faster. I don't know if I can train myself to do this or if its just something that has to come naturally.



I really know what that feels like! I've had to stop reading at times and pray that my heart and eyes will be opened and that my focus will be intent on what is being read! Its so easy to drift of to the schedule of the day, meal planning or whatever. So, when I hit a wall now I change over to read the same passages for a while in a good commentary. This seems to challenge my focus and I'm more in tune with what I'm reading. Doing the cross references and reading in a commentary seem to open up the meaning and significance! So much of it is just deep and hard and takes so much determination to 'get it'!


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## wturri78 (Jun 16, 2009)

nasa30 said:


> I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.



I think reading broadly and even somewhat superficially can give a lay of the land, so to speak, and help us to recall other passages as we study more thoroughly. 

It would be wonderful to do the daily in-a-year readings, then study another book in detail, and then have lots of time for prayer, and then read some Puritans or church fathers or something...some days it seems all I have time to do is smack myself with a Bible and hope something sticks!


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## ClayPot (Jun 16, 2009)

The advantage of reading through the Bible in a year are:
1. You are exposed to all of God's counsel
2. It is easier to see relationships between books when you read them closely together
3. It keeps you disciplined in consistently reading the Word 

Or course there are the downsides of:
1. It can become ritualistic
2. It is more difficult to digest the word
3. You may be tempted to keep reading "from the schedule" when there is a more important area of truth that you should be focusing.

Reading only small chunks of the Bible often has the opposite problems:
1. People read only their favorite stuff. Why are there so few Christians who have read the Bible from cover to cover?
2. Arguments and thoughts in Scriptures can be somewhat lengthy. If we only read a few verses or a chapter, it may be difficult to get the big picture about what is going on in the book.
3. It can be easy to just read a few verses and move on.

I think both are good. I think it is great to read through the entire Bible on a regular basis (whether it is a year or not) but important to dig deep and allow God to transform us as we read and meditate on his word.


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## Berean (Jun 16, 2009)

If you _are_ going to do it in a year, one of these in your favorite translation may help. You'll not be locked in just the OT or NT for months. Each day's readings include chapters from the OT, the NT, and then a portion from Proverbs and Psalms. Sometimes the balance and variety can help.

Amazon.com: The One Year Bible: The Entire New American Standard Bible Arranged in 365 Daily Readings: Books


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## Edward (Jun 16, 2009)

A few years ago, our church gave each family a one year Bible. While there are pluses and minuses to a one year reading program, I consider it to have been, overall, beneficial to me. I would recommend that everyone read through all the Scriptures (one year or two year doesn't really matter) at least once.


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## Irish Presbyterian (Jun 16, 2009)

May I recommend an approach I use (after it was recommended to me) that helps you to retain the Scriptures you read. After you have read a passage, pray it back to God. Thank him for what he has revealed to you, ask him how this passage fits into the big picture and work out as you pray the application of passage to your own context. This really helps if you're systematically reading 3 or 4 passages from different books.

Also, its important to remember that God has provided the means of the Church to teach you the deeper things of the word. If you get expositional preaching ever Lord's Day than you will hear God's word expounded in more detail on a single passage. If you take 3 or 4 passages for you daily readings and try to see how these fit into the big picture, the Word preached on Sunday will take on a new life.


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## DTK (Jun 16, 2009)

wturri78 said:


> So what benefit can a person derive from reading Scriptures without taking the time to meticulously track down references and be sure one understands and retains what was read?
> 
> Thoughts?


Dear Bill,

While I would affirm that there is no automatic blessing conveyed by the reading of Scripture in the manner you've described, there is something to be said for the discipline of it. I know it can become nothing more than a "going through the motions," but I do think that the disciplining of the mind to engage the word of God is something that God will be pleased to bless. To paraphrase John Owen in his treatise, _On the Mortification of Sin_, he noted that the more spiritual the discipline is, in which one seeks to engage, the more violent the opposition will be of remaining corruption and sin. Then, the temptation comes often in the form of..."Well, what good can come from this any way? Given the dullness of mind that I feel that comes over me when I begin to read the word of God, why bother???"

I have found in my own experience that such a temptation proceeds from my own remaining corruption and sin, which then, seemingly, provides me with a justifiable reason (if not a genuine feeling of nobility that I'm respecting God's word - Why should I read God's word in such a state of mind???) to excuse myself and to disengage from the discipline. And as ole Bunyan would put it, I realize then that "I am not yet out of the gun-shot of the devil!"

Any spiritual discipline will be resisted by our three-fold enemy, the world, the flesh, and the devil...and the more spiritual the discipline, the more violent the opposition is of those three enemies of our souls. 

And more often than not, I think that the benefits and blessings derived from the engagement of the text can often be more than that which we realize at the time, and can in the providence of God manifest themselves at a later date or time. As one from a by-gone day put it...



> *Caesarius, bishop of Arles (470-543):* Therefore consider at once, brethren, and carefully notice that the man who frequently reads or listens to sacred Scripture speaks with God. See, then, whether the Devil can overtake him when he perceives him in constant conversation with God. However, if a man neglects to do this, with what boldness or with what feelings does he believe God will grant him an eternal reward, when he refuses to speak with Him in this world through the divine text? _FC, Vol. 31, Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons (1-80)_, Sermon 8.3 (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1956), p. 52.
> 
> *Caesarius, bishop of Arles (470-543):* For this reason I beseech you with fatherly solicitude, equally admonishing and exhorting you, as was already said, to endeavor continually to read the sacred lessons yourselves or willingly to listen to others read them. By thus always thinking over in the treasury of your heart what is just and holy, you may prepare for your souls an eternal spiritual food that will bring you endless bliss. F_C, Vol. 31, Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons (1-80)_, Sermon 8.4 (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1956), p. 54.


Let us seek to recover the spirituality of the word of God!
DTK


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## LeeJUk (Jun 16, 2009)

Well I agree completely with the idea that reading 4-5 chapters a day just gets so superficial for me. I read it all and even with a commentary out but i think its just too much.

I remember hearing about a bible teacher who apart from all other studies in the day, sat down and read and meditated upon just a chapter of the bible for at least 30 minutes per day. It brings the food out of it. I have started doing this.

Maybe a technique would be : read 4 chapters like normal, but choose one in that day to meditate upon for 30 minutes and really get down to studying.


I remember going through Romans 1, analyzing every word and seriously, things I never noticed start to appear. 

Take care, God bless.


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## Rangerus (Jun 16, 2009)

Here is something that was recommended by someone on this board. I started this a little over 3 months ago. (now on day 94). And I'm here to say, it has made an amazing change in my life. I can't begin to describe the incredible benefits but I highly recommend it. 10 Chapters a day. And not just any 10. It has to be in the order Professor Horner recommends. You'll read through the Bible roughly 4 to 5 times per year.

I use it as big part of my daily devotion and continue to pray and meditate. This just helps get me focused.

Dr Horners Bible Reading System



> TRY IT FOR A MONTH. Then tell me what is happening!
> 
> Join if you wish to try it; stay if you keep it up for one month! And make posts about your struggles, the effects it is having on your biblical understanding and discernment, and to encourage others.
> 
> ...


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## eqdj (Jun 17, 2009)

For those who don't read the bible systematically, you should consider two approaches for two reasons.

Is your purpose to know what's in the bible? then read through the bible in a year. Keep doing it every year. After a while, you'll notice that you'll gain discernment.
Note: Do Not Be legalistic about this. If you miss a day, do not try to catch up. You will only get dissappointed. Keep going forward.

Is your purpose to study the bible? Then take your time. maybe get a three-year reading plan. Use commentaries/devotionals. take your time. 

Do not confuse these two methods. 

I prefer the chronological approach to the "random" methods of M'Cheyne and others.
My one and three-year reading plans are in the same order, the difference is one chapter a day versus three chapers a day.

See here.


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## VictorBravo (Jun 17, 2009)

DTK said:


> Dear Bill,
> 
> While I would affirm that there is no automatic blessing conveyed by the reading of Scripture in the manner you've described, there is something to be said for the discipline of it. I know it can become nothing more than a "going through the motions," but I do think that the disciplining of the mind to engage the word of God is something that God will be pleased to bless. To paraphrase John Owen in his treatise, _On the Mortification of Sin_, he noted that the more spiritual the discipline is, in which one seeks to engage, the more violent the opposition will be of remaining corruption and sin. Then, the temptation comes often in the form of..."Well, what good can come from this any way? Given the dullness of mind that I feel that comes over me when I begin to read the word of God, why bother???"



I was going to write something on the advantages of discipline, but I see you've done it far better. 

I would add that the diligent dry spells often pay off months later, when you least expect it.


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