As 2025 comes to a close, several tasks come to mind. Most will set intentions to change any number of aspects of their lives, such as losing weight, beginning an exercise routine, and reading more; I know for a fact that I have all of those on my resolution list. While setting these goals, many Christians are also planning how they will spend time in the Word of God.
Spending daily time in the presence of God and in reading His word is integral to the spiritual growth of the believer. I personally know of no more beneficial daily habit that will promote more growth and maturity in one’s spiritual life. Spending time in the Word is something I began making time for a long time ago, and it continues to pay dividends in my spiritual maturity. I have no doubt it will do the same for you.
Throughout the scriptures, we are exhorted, even commanded, to view the words of God as life-giving and to prioritize spending time in His word. One of my favorite passages of scripture, even from my days as a babe in Christ, is on this very subject.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9–11, ESV)
Most who read this will be aware of the benefits of spending daily time in God’s word, so I won’t continue to push the point. Yet this leads directly to the first main decision one should make before choosing a plan for your Bible reading.
Set An Intention
I know, this sounds like the usual self-help talk one gets at this time of year. “Set your intention for your goals.” Still, it’s not bad advice, and what you decide here will be a significant help in choosing a plan.
You must ask yourself what you want out of your devotional time. Are you new to establishing a habit and just looking for something to help you build daily consistency? Are you a seasoned saint who has read through the Bible one way for several years and is looking for a fresh perspective? Understanding what you want from this time, besides a daily time of communion and relationship with God, that is, which goes without saying, will begin to narrow your plan choices considerably.
For instance, are you looking to read through the entire Bible, or just a specific portion? Are you looking to view the central, cohesive narrative woven throughout all of scripture and to follow the scarlet thread of redemption from Genesis to Revelation? Or perhaps, you’re more interested in sharpening your knowledge of just the Old Testament or just the New Testament? How you respond to these will guide the decision-making process.
First, a point of clarification. Although there is merit in a variety of reading plans, for the remainder of our time with this topic, we’ll focus on longer, more comprehensive ones. No one really needs much assistance reading through 14 days on prayer, etc.
Macro vs Micro level focus
Your reading plan will focus on one of two levels of focus on the text. If you wish to take in the entire Bible in one year or less, that can be considered a macro-level view of scripture. This reading is more focused on the overall narrative of the Biblical witness, not necessarily getting into the weeds of a particular book or collection of books. This is akin to boarding a helicopter and viewing an entire forest; it’s hard to focus on a single tree or a group of trees from such a vast vantage point.
On the other hand, reading the New Testament in one year, or multiple times within a year, will give you a much more focused view of the text. Using the same analogy, this is like taking a walk through, or camping in one section of the same forest. You may not be as knowledgeable about the entire forest, but you will have a much more intimate knowledge of the portion that you’ve spent time in; more so than someone choosing the other view will have about any one section.
The most micro level that one can take in their interaction with scripture is in verse memorization. This is the micro extreme of the spectrum.
Let’s take a look at a few of each type of plan
Macro-Level Plans
1. The One Year Bible Plan
This plan is the classic, and it is exactly what it sounds like. My first countless attempts of reading through the word in one year were with this plan. I have owned a number of differing translations that have been organized in daily devotional readings in the form of this plan. It separates scripture into four section for each devotional: Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm and Proverb. It’s easy, convenient, and is available in digital or print mediums. I highly recommend it for its accessibility and ease.
2. Chronological Reading Plan
This is a plan that I enjoy greatly for its historical value. If you have issues with understanding the order of events that take place within scripture, this is an excellent reading. You’re still going through the Bible in the same time frame as before, but instead of reading them according to the table of contents, you’re reading them on proposed dating. I say proposed, because the order of some events are simply a matter of hypothesis and / or interpretation. Some begin in Genesis, some begin with the first few verses of John chapter 1, then switch to Genesis 1:1. I’ve read a Chronological plan that goes Gen. 1-10 and then switches to Job due to scholarly dating.
What is helpful, is that it does harmonize and order other sections of text that are normally not viewed in this manner. When going through the life of David, it will suddenly jump to a Psalm or two that is attributed to him during the particular episode covered; its very helpful. Reading through Kings and Chronicles is also helpful, especially when there is a contemporary major or minor profit within the time frame. One can see how this can be useful in gaining a grasp of the text. I highly recommend attempting this at least once if not more.
3. Bible in 90 Days
This one is not for the faint of heart. Conquering the entire Bible in 90 days is a feat, and one that I will complete at least once, but have not been able to make it though thus far. Through this plan, you’ll cover about 15-16 chapters per day, which is not a ton, but it is a significant ask for some. For those who have taken on and completed this mammoth task, they find it to be very fruitful. This is a macro focus on steroids.
Micro-Level Plans
1. New Testament in one year
Now this is not a whole Bible plan, but this can still be helpful. For those who are short of time, or who are not strong readers, this is a great place to begin. The most well known strategy for this is to read one chapter per day five days per week. I highly recommend this for those who are busy, or who are newer to establishing the habit. One chapter per day is very manageable, and you have two catch-up days per week built into your schedule. While reading through, you have the space to digest each chapter of the New Testament, using the free days every week to mine through sections of interest with a closer eye.
2. MacArthur Reading Plan
This is the plan that I’ve chosen for this and next year. This is the plan that Dr. MacArthur has presented as a personal plan that he used during his life, and it’s found in the Study Bible that bears his name. The idea is that you read through the New Testament 30 times over the span of about two and a half years.
You separate the text in about 5-8 chapter sections, most of which is done for you as the shorter New Testament books are usually around this length. Take 1 John for instance, which is the one that I began with, you read that entire epistle once per day for 30 days. On longer sections, such as the Gospel of John, you would separate that into thirds and read it over the span of three months. At the end, you should have a relatively thorough grasp on the New Testament. You won’t have the kind of grasp that in-depth study would give you, but you probably won’t be far off.
Search out differing approaches. There are some amazing resources that have countless plans and approaches to systematically reading through the text, this has just been an introduction into some of the more well known few. I specifically have the most experience with the Youversion Bible app, and the Logos app, but there are undoubtedly countless others.
Takeaways
- Set a goal of daily time spent in the word of God.
This is for all of you who have yet to make this decision. It really is one of the best decisions you can make for your spiritual growth.
- Set your Intention
Choose what you want to take away from your time spent in the Word of God.
- Pick a plan and stick to it.
For thoughts and strategies on how to complete that chosen plan, please check out my post on the subject.