It is Bible reading time!

The first suggestion--and what helped me tremendously to establish my Bible reading discipline many years ago: use Bible reading plans that give you Saturday and Sunday off.

The second suggestion: be creative by using different plans and reading different English translations. If you're able, make a plan that takes you through your Greek NT or the Hebrew Torah in a year. I usually rotate between an English translation one year and my Greek NT the next. This helps me to maintain my Greek reading proficiency. Now, if only I had continued reading my BHS after seminary... :(

Thankfully, I purchased and use this book, which helps me regain some of my lost Hebrew: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Scriptures-Readings-Eerdmans-Resources/dp/…

Speaking of being creative, you can build a customized Bible reading plan here: https://biblereadingplangenerator.com/

@T Howard: I visited that Bible reading plan generator site, popped open Chrome Dev Tools, and admired the labor of love that someone had performed representing the Bible as JavaScript objects for verses-per-chapter, words-per-chapter, pericope boundaries, etc. What a labor of love, and pretty elegant. Any web developers / JavaScript people out there should take a look.

The first suggestion--and what helped me tremendously to establish my Bible reading discipline many years ago: use Bible reading plans that give you Saturday and Sunday off.

It's been about 10 years or so since I discovered this in the Navigators studies I link to. It was such an eye-opener and no-brainer! (to use cliches).

Taking a day of rest in your Bible reading plan is so helpful to success. I've adjusted all my own schedules accordingly.

I do have to say that I've never found a completely satisfactory schedule, even my own. I'm constantly tweaking mine.

The first suggestion--and what helped me tremendously to establish my Bible reading discipline many years ago: use Bible reading plans that give you Saturday and Sunday off.

Surely, you are not saying that believers should take 2 out the 7 days of each week "off" from reading their Bibles at all, right?

There is “should,” and there are the realities of life. I’ve had things come up when trying to read the Bible through in a year and ended up skipping days to stay on schedule. I’ve found that I agree with THoward that the best way to do it is to use a 5-day plan. That doesn’t mean I don’t crack open the Bible app on the “off” days (in fact, Sundays can particularly mean reading many other scriptures), but it does mean that I won’t get behind on the plan to read the Bible through in a year when things keep us from the daily routine (and I’m not talking about “I just don’t want to get up today” either).

Surely, you are not saying that believers should take 2 out the 7 days of each week "off" from reading their Bibles at all, right?

I am saying that believers should incorporate a two-day respite each week into their Bible reading plans.

Remember, one of those days the believer is still intaking God's Word through his time listening to the preaching of God's Word. Some churches even have an adult Bible fellowship / Sunday school class as well as Sunday evening services. So, the believer is still being fed from God's Word one of those off days.

IMHO, including a two-day break each week into your Bible reading plan is a game-changer to establishing personal Bible intake as a permanent spiritual discipline in your life.

I admit that I miss a day every once in a while--perhaps that qualifies me as a person taking a break as well--but my general plan is to simply start in Genesis in late December and finish Revelation by the next December. I've been doing it for about 35 years now. Mixing it up means reading an OT book than a NT, writing out the law of Moses (I'm in Deuteronomy 25 after 17 years or so), and reading in different translations and even languages (German/Hebrew).

Part of me thinks, regarding the "take a break" recommendation, is that it might be a good idea for someone who's reading the Scriptures out of a sense of obligation, but might be seen as ludicrous by someone who's fallen in love with them. That person might say "should I take two days off per week from showing affection to my wife, too?". I like to think I'm at least getting towards the position of being in love with the Scriptures, but I don't know how to nudge people that way besides relating my delight in various passages.

Part of me thinks, regarding the "take a break" recommendation, is that it might be a good idea for someone who's reading the Scriptures out of a sense of obligation, but might be seen as ludicrous by someone who's fallen in love with them.

Yeah, I'll stay out of the business of judging people's heart based on whether they adhere to my spiritual disciplines schedule.

Having "flex days" as the Navigators call it in their schedules allows for the vicissitudes of life. When I'm traveling, the schedule is often so demanding that there is no time for normal life. (Part of that is due to living on an island, where travel is always extra special.) On Sundays, I often am up well into the night on Saturday doing prep. Sunday I preach three services, then we are busy entertaining church folks in our home (or going to theirs). It's a busy day.

Having flex days allows some of the pressure of my own self-discipline some flexibility. I have found this extremely relieving.

And I even find times to get ahead, and read on Sundays anyway. I finished my Bible reading schedule a couple of weeks early last year and then spent the rest of the year reading Hebrews three times, getting back into it as my preaching series there resumes next Sunday.

The goal for everyone is starting, then maintaining the habit.

If you are so self-disciplined, and have a habit ingrained for personal Bible reading every day, that's great. Most people aren't there yet. It does no good to regale new Christians, or those who've never tried, with your highly disciplined habits. They probably won't start, because they don't think they can do it.

I've found the first step is getting the habit started.

After that, we can work on adding more to the daily practice.

Tom, you don't have to assume or judge, but I think it's fair to ask people having trouble with their Bible reading whether they're doing it out of perceived requirement, or because they're drawn to it. That notion also will draw a reasonable path for improvement; perhaps the pastor needs to communicate a delight in the Bible.

For example, I've seen a fair number of men use the text for the weekly sermon not as the actual text, but more or less as a springboard to talk about what they really wanted to talk about. Now that topic may have been absolutely beneficial and essential in other ways, but the ugly reality is that if the text is used as a springboard and not a foundation, it's going to be very difficult for that sermon to communicate delight in the Scriptures.

I have been going through the New Testament. I finally got to Revelation and I watched some Youtube videos on it. I don't want to start Genesis. I don't feel like it. I should do Revelation a bit more and then finally take a dive back into the Old Testament.