Bible Reading Plans for 2020

The welcoming of a new year is a natural time to evaluate all areas of your life – and there’s no more valuable resolution to make than meeting with God daily in prayer and Bible reading. Here are a few reading plans to get you started. Most of these are printable allowing you to keep a copy tucked in your Bible.
  • Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan
    • The book-at-a-time Bible reading plan provides two readings for each day. The first reading alternates between Old and New Testament books, giving you three or four chapters a day. The Gospels are spread throughout the year. The second reading takes you through a chapter or so of the wisdom literature and Isaiah. Combined, these readings will take you through the entire Bible in one year. To prevent the frustration of falling behind and to provide some reflection time, each month consists of only 25 readings. You’ll have several days each month to meditate more deeply on something that was significant to you in the past week, to catch up on missed readings, or to revisit favorite passages.
  • Robert Murray M’Cheyne Daily Bible Reading Plan
    • This plan 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.
  • Bible Project Bible Reading Plan
    • This plan includes videos and other good resources to help you read and understand the scriptures as a whole. As part of the Bible Project ‘Read Scripture’ plan they have produced an app, which incorporates their videos and selected readings for each day of the year. If you enjoy ticking off what you’ve read each day then you also have the option of downloading the readings as a PDF to stick into your bible. It takes you through the entire bible in one year. The scriptures are divided up into sixteen “chapters” and organized in semi-chronological order.
  • 5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan
    • If you’re not used to reading the Bible daily, start with this easy to use 5 minutes a day. This reading plan will take you through all 260 chapters of the New Testament, one chapter per day. The Gospels are read throughout the year to weave in the story of Christ all year long. Pause in your reading to dig into the Bible. Below are 5 different ways to dig deeper each day. These exercises will encourage meditation. Try a single idea for a week to find what works best for you. Remember to keep a pen and paper ready to capture God’s insights. 1 Underline or highlight key words or phrases in the Bible passage. Use a pen or highlighter to mark new discoveries from the text. 2 Put it in your own words. Read the passage or verse slowly, then rewrite each phrase or sentence using your own words. 3 Ask and answer questions. Questions unlock new discoveries and meanings. Ask questions about the passage using these words: who, what, why, when, where, or how. Jot down your answers to these questions. 4 Capture the big idea. God’s Word communicates big ideas. Periodically ask: What’s the big idea in this sentence, paragraph, or chapter? 5 Personalize the meaning. Respond as God speaks to you through the Scriptures. Ask: How could my life be different today as I respond to what I’m reading?