Bible Reading Plans For Beginners

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.

-1 Peter 2:2 (KJV)

Where Should A Beginner Begin Reading The Bible?

The Bible has 66 books, spans over one thousand years, and contains almost every genre of writing known to man. So, starting a Bible reading plan for beginners can be daunting. Even if you have been a Christian for several years and are looking for a way to get more Bible into your study time, Bible reading plans can be a challenging decision. However, there are many helpful Bible reading plans available, and you don’t have to schedule out your whole year to complete them.

How Do You Read The Bible Effectively?

The purpose of Bible reading isn’t getting it done. I’m sure you’ve seen these senior saints carrying around their ‘ole tattered Bibles. They don’t look that way because of neglect. They didn’t read to the end of Revelation and then lay their Bibles on a shelf. No, they read it, read it, and reread it. Some may not have a yearly plan to follow all the way through, but they have notes, underlines, or highlights on every page.

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.”
-Charles Spurgeon

To effectively read the Bible takes time. It’s about reading a phrase or a chapter or a word and meditating on it, praying about it, asking questions, and digging deeper. Psalm 1:2 says that the person who meditates on God’s Word will be happy. Not the person who reads several chapters of God’s Word per day. Nothing wrong with that, but it is not a race to the finish.

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Bible Reading Plans

A simple reading plan is all that’s needed to begin consistently reading the Word of God. I follow a 3-year plan, which is typically 25 or 30 verses a day.

Other plans are:

Read a Proverb a day; there are 31 chapters
Read 5 Psalms a day
Read 5, 10, or 15 minutes a day
Read one chapter in the Old Testament in the morning and one chapter in the New Testament in the evening
Find a Bible reading App (Olive Tree ministries has a great one)
A lot of Bibles have reading plans in them (look in the front and back of your Bible)

Or make up a plan. My biased opinion is not to start in the Old Testament or Revelation. Well, maybe read Genesis and Psalms, and Proverbs, But if you begin in the New Testament, you will read about Jesus and His ministry on earth through the four gospels.

Don’t get me wrong; the Old Testament is full of wonder and marvelous accounts like:

the parting of the Red Sea
the falling of Jericho’s walls (my favorite)
Elijah called down fire
Jonah eaten by a fish
the worldwide flood
angels, demons, destruction
the ten plagues of Egypt
the burning bush
miraculous healings
and dried bones raised up into an army.

Wow! I just got excited about reading the Old Testament!

However, I stick to my first statement (and this is purely a preference). I say read the New Testament because the Old Testament can get heavy and confusing as you read about the Levitical Laws, the prophecies, and the neverending cycle of Israel’s rebellion and redemption. All this information is priceless and necessary, but if you are new to Christianity, the New Testament is full of practical advice and instructions for Christian living.

But wherever you begin your Bible reading plan, the important thing is to be consistent. If you want to know the will of God for your life, read the Bible. And pray.

“The very practice of reading [the Bible] will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart Let nothing take the place of this daily exercise.”
-Billy Graham

Simple 12-Month Bible Reading Plan

The thing about reading the Bible is that it is a life-long activity. You may not be able to read it every day, but you will be reading it for the rest of your life. The benefits of consistent Bible reading are innumerable. The #1 benefit is to know what God says about EVERYTHING!

So, if you would like some help being consistent in your Bible reading time, I have designed a FREE printable PDF below. It’s a simple 12-month plan that goes through a few of the most popular books of the Bible. It begins in Genesis, which contains the most popular episodes in the Bible like:

Creation
Fall of man
Noah
Tower of Babel
Abraham
Issac and Rebekah
Esau and Jacob
Jacob and his new name
Joseph, the dreamer

And the next reading is in Exodus, where Moses makes his great entrance and exit. The plan goes up to the twenty-first chapter of Exodus; covering the Ten Commandments.

Next are readings through Matthew, Proverbs, Psalms, Acts, and then Romans. It’s not covering the whole Bible, but just a little bit daily–so it’s not a race but a stroll through daily Bible reading.