Reading the Bible Through in a Year Series:
      1. Free Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
      2. Books to Help You Read through the Bible
      3. Recommended Children’s Story Bibles
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Yesterday, we looked at several Bible reading plans designed to help you read through the Bible during the year. Today I would like to recommend several book resources which will help you do the same. I own all four of these books and am happy to recommend them to you.

The One Year Bible – There are a number of these available in different bindings and translations, but they all operate on the same principle. The One Year Bible contains the entire text of the Bible divided into daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. You simply open the Bible to the day’s date and read the selections for that day.
 
 

For the Love of God Volume 1 and For the Love of God Volume 2, by D. A. Carson – Carson’s books are based on the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan that in the course of one year will guide you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Old Testament once. The books also work as a devotional, containing Carson’s thoughts and reflections on the various Scriptures read for that day. The volumes are independent of each other, so you do not need both of them to read through the Bible. Or, if you like, you can use one volume one year and the second volume the next.
 

Through the Bible, Through the Year, by John Stott – Stott’s book offers daily readings that take you through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation with an emphasis on both the “big picture” of the story of God and the nature of God as Trinity. The book features three sections that follow the church calendar. From September to December, Stott focuses on how God is revealed in Old Testament times; January through Pentecost, the life of Christ in the Gospels; and May through August, the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
 

Through the Bible in One Year, by Dr. Alan B. Stringfellow – Stringfellow’s book is more of a workbook format with 52 weekly lessons that bring you through all 66 books of the Bible in a year. There are assigned readings for each week followed by a weekly lesson with study notes and questions on the passages read. Great for individuals, groups or families, Stringfellow’s book will help you to learn the major themes, the key verses and the central messages of every book in the Bible.

What other books can you recommend? (Note: Tomorrow we will look at recommended Children’s Story Bibles.)

Related post: 5 Reasons to Read God’s Word This Year

Reading the Bible Through in a Year Series:
      1. Free Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
      2. Books to Help You Read through the Bible
      3. Recommended Children’s Story Bibles

Note: The Bible Memory Version is available for purchase here at my website (in ePub or Kindle format) and also through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. If you don’t have an e-reader, you can download a free e-reader here.

Reading the Bible Through in a Year Series:
      1. Free Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
      2. Books to Help You Read through the Bible
      3. Recommended Children’s Story Bibles
—————————————————————————————————————————
Here are links to some free Bible reading plans to help you with your Bible reading in the New Year. I have used each of these plans at different times and found them all helpful.

1. Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plans: NavPress offers the following three different Bible reading plans.

• Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan: Read four places in God’s Word every day to better grasp the unity of the Scriptures. Read the complete Bible in one year. (Download: Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan)
• Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan: Intersperses Old and New Testament books in each month’s readings, with the four gospels spread out throughout the year. Read the complete Bible in one year. (Download: Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan)
• 5 x 5 x 5 Bible Reading Plan: 5 minutes per day, 5 days per week, 5 ways to dig deeper. Takes you through one chapter each day. Read through the entire New Testament in one year. (Download: 5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan)

2. M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan: 19th Century Scottish pastor Robert Murray M’Cheyne (McCheyne) created this popular plan which in the course of one year will guide you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Old Testament once. You can get free pdf printouts of the M’Cheyne calendar as well as RSS feeds of the daily readings here.

3. New Testament in One Year: Here is a simple “Read the New Testament Through in a Year” sheet that I put together for my boys when they were younger. You read one chapter a day five days a week alternating the longer books with the shorter books. It prints out nicely on one sheet of paper (front and back sides). Feel free to use, copy, pass on or modify however you wish.

4. Five Track Bible Reading Plan: This plan divides the Bible into five separate “tracks” corresponding to five major sections of Scripture.

• Track 1: Beginnings: Genesis to Ruth (236 Chapters)
• Track 2: Nation Building: 1 Samuel to Job (242 Chapters)
• Track 3: Poetry and Wisdom: Psalms to Song of Songs (201 Chapters)
• Track 4: Prophets: Isaiah to Malachi (250 Chapters)
• Track 5: New Testament: Matthew to Revelation (260 Chapters)

The daily readings from each track consist of major narratives or divisions within these sections of Scripture. Reading large portions of Scripture in this manner will give you a better appreciation for the overall flow of Scripture and how the various parts of the Bible fit together. This plan comes with various options ranging from reading the whole Bible through in three years to reading the whole Bible through in a month. It can also be used to read through the book of Psalms and Proverbs each month, along with Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Once again, feel free to use, copy, pass on or modify however you wish. (Note: I adapted this plan a number of years ago from the Five Lane Plan.)

What other resources can you recommend? (Note: Tomorrow we will look at books to help you read through the Bible and the next day at recommended Children’s Story Bibles.)

Related post: 5 Reasons to Read God’s Word This Year

Reading the Bible Through in a Year Series:
      1. Free Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
      2. Books to Help You Read through the Bible
      3. Recommended Children’s Story Bibles

Note: The Bible Memory Version is available for purchase here at my website (in ePub or Kindle format) and also through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. If you don’t have an e-reader, you can download a free e-reader here.

I will be running a short series this week on Reading the Bible Through in a Year. The first post will look at several Bible reading plans that are available online. The second post will direct you to some good book resources. And then the third post will provide recommendations for children’s story Bibles (for families that would like to read the Bible with their children this year). Here are the links to the individual posts.

Reading the Bible Through in a Year Series:

      1. Free Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
      2. Books to Help You Read through the Bible
      3. Recommended Children’s Story Bibles

Related post: 5 Reasons to Read God’s Word This Year

Five Reasons to Read God’s Word This Year

1. It will teach you God’s ways.
    – All God’s ways are good and right (Prov 3:13,17; Rev 15:3)
    – God commands you to walk in his ways (Dt 10:12; Ps 25:8-10)
    – God teaches his ways through his word (Ps 1:1-2; Prov 8:32-35)

2. It will guide you in God’s paths.
    – God’s word shows the right way to go (Prov 16:25; Jer 6:16; Ps 119:105)
    – It shows you the best way to get there (Is 48:17; Prov 3:5-6)
    – It helps you walk close with God all the way (Ps 23:1-3, 32:8)

3. It will strengthen you for your tasks.
    – God’s word equips you (2 Tim 3:16-17; Psalm 18:30-36)
    – God’s word nourishes you (Matthew 4:4; Job 23:12)
    – God’s word gives you wisdom to succeed (Prov 24:3-6; Josh 1:8)

4. It will comfort you in your sorrows.
    – The Scriptures were written for your encouragement (Romans 15:4)
    – The gospel is good news for the poor and brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1-3)
    – God’s promises preserve your life (Psalm 119:28,49-52)

5. It will protect you from harm.
    – God’s word guards against wrong paths (Proverbs 2:6-12)
    – God’s word helps you fight against temptation (Ps 119:9-11; Eph 6:17)
    – God sanctifies you by the truth of his word (John 17:15-17)

Note: You can read the complete message that goes along with this outline here: Five Reasons to Read God’s Word This Year

Here are ten great Bible verses for World Kindness Day (a day to practice random acts of kindness).

1. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
2. “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
3. This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
4. “[God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17)
5. “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” (Romans 2:4)
6. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
7. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
8. “… the incomparable riches of [God's] grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7)
9. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Epehsians 4:32)
10. “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:4-6)

Recommended Books on Kindness:

The Washington Post has an interesting article on how Christian groups are using technology to bring the Bible to the more remote regions of the world.

RONG DOMRIEX, Cambodia — Tel Im, a barefoot 13-year-old, sat cross-legged on a bamboo bench, eager for her reading lesson … Six months ago, Im couldn’t read a word and had never heard of Jesus. Now, thanks to a literacy program run by the local chapter of an international Bible group, she has a book — the Bible — that she can read, and she says she wants to become a Christian.

Using technological devices ranging from simple cassette tapes to solar-powered audio players and an iPod-like gadget called the Bible Stick, Christian groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make one of the world’s oldest books accessible in remote corners of the planet.

Complete versions of the Bible can now be downloaded onto cellphones in parts of Africa. To reach those who can’t read — nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, according to the United Nations — Christian groups are rapidly increasing production of audio and video versions.

HT: Between Two Worlds

I meet monthly with a group of local clergy for lunch, fellowship and planning. Over the past year we have been in conversation with the Superintendent of Schools about the possible addition of an elective class on the Bible to be taught at the high school level in our town. The superintendent has been very open to talking with us about this proposal and recently set up a meeting with the School Committee where we could present the course for consideration. A reporter from the local paper was invited, and you can read the summary of the meeting here.

The curriculum we are recommending is called The Bible and Its Influence, produced by the Bible Literacy Project. The course examines the Bible’s influence on literature and culture and is appropriate for use in public schools. I looked through the curriculum and was very impressed. It has received sterling endorsements from a wide variety of scholars and teachers. You can also preview the “inside of the book” at Amazon if you want to take a closer look for yourself.

Previous post in series:

• Bible Curriculum for Public Schools (1)

Books relating to Bible literacy:

• The Bible and Its Influence (Student Text)
• Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know–And Doesn’t (by Stephen Prothero)
• How to Read the Bible as Literature (by Dr. Leland Ryken)

Most people would agree that the Bible is one of the most important documents in history. However, because it is also a religious book, public schools are sometimes hesitant to teach about the Bible due to issues of separation of church and state. In 1963, however, the Supreme Court made a ruling not against the study of the Bible in public schools, but rather against the devotional, religious use of the Bible in public schools. Supreme Court Justice Clark stated:

“It might be well said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literacy and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.” [School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203, 225 (1963)]

There are two main Bible curricula currently available for those public schools that would like to make an elective class on the Bible available to their students. These two curriculum choices are summarized below.

1. The Bible in History and Literature
   Produced by: The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools

   The curriculum for the program shows a concern to convey the content of the Bible as compared to literature and history. The program is concerned with education rather than indoctrination of students. The central approach of the class is simply to study the Bible as a foundation document of society, and that approach is altogether appropriate in a comprehensive program of secular education.

2. The Bible and Its Influence
   Produced by: The Bible Literacy Project

   A primary goal of the course is basic Biblical literacy—a grasp of the language, major narratives, and characters of the Bible. The course also explores the influence of the Bible in classic and contemporary poems, plays, and novels. Of course, the Bible is not merely literature—for a number of religious traditions it is sacred text. Our curriculum and online teacher training prepare teachers to address the relevant, major religious readings of the text in an academic and objective manner.

Further information concerning both of these curricula and their individual approaches is available at their respective websites as indicated above. Further information concerning the use of the Bible in public schools with respect to the First Amendment is available through the First Amendment Center at the following links:

• Religious Liberty: Bible in School
• The Bible and Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide

Next post in series:

• Bible Curriculum for Public Schools (2)

Bible at school. “Alabama has became the first state in the union to approve a textbook for a course about the Bible in its public schools. There was no opposition to the October 11 vote by the state Board of Education to include The Bible and Its Influence on the state’s list of accepted textbooks. The Board held a hearing on the issue and no-one showed up; the book was approved by a vote of 8-0.” (Source: TIME Magazine)

Change for a million? A man was arrested at a Pittsburgh supermarket after he handed a one million dollar bill to the cashier and asked for change. (Since 1969, the $100 bill is the largest note in circulation.)

Turkey invasion. Wild turkeys have made a comeback in Massachusetts and are causing trouble in neighborhoods and city streets. Hmmmm, with Thanksgiving less than a month away, this sounds like really bad timing on the part of the turkeys.

A. J. Jacobs likes to take things one year at a time. First he read through the encyclopedia in a year. Then he spent one year trying to follow every rule in the Bible.

After A. J. Jacobs spent a year reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica for his book “The Know-It-All,” he figured he had the yearlong experiment thing down. How much harder could it be to follow every rule in the Bible? Much, much harder, he soon discovered, as he found himself growing his beard, struggling not to curse and asking strangers for permission to stone them for adultery. Jacobs spent the year carrying around a stapled list of the more than 700 rules and prohibitions identified in the Good Book, and also consulted with religious leaders and spent time with the Amish, Hassidic Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses. He spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Jennie Yabroff about his experience and his new book, “The Year of Living Biblically” (Simon & Schuster), which goes on sale Oct. 9.

Jacobs did this not out of religious devotion to God, but really as more of a gimmick in order to write a book about his experience. For example, when he comes to the command on stoning adulterers, he throws a few pebbles at an old man he meets on the street. Still, it is an entertaining article that raises all sorts of interesting questions on how we are to apply the Biblical rules for ancient Israel to life today. (I like his wife’s suggestion for his next book: “Eating in Every Restaurant in New York.”)

If you would like to learn more about applying commands found in the Bible, check out The Ten Commandments for Today series on this blog. And remember, although we should seek to follow God’s commands, we are saved by God’s grace in Christ and not by our own works. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:4-5)

WWJB – What would Jesus believe? J. P. Moreland offers the following helpful discussion on what Jesus believed about Scripture.

First, Jesus held that Scripture’s assertions are true. This is nicely illustrated in two texts. John 10: 35 says “the Scripture cannot be broken.” In context this means that it cannot be found to assert a falsehood … Similarly, Jesus taught that all (each and every) things taught about him had to happen (Luke 18:31; 24:44). Why all of them and why did they have to happen? The underlying assumption is that everything Scripture asserts is true. Thus, Jesus can simply claim, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:3).

Second, Jesus held that inspiration characterizes Scripture down to … the smallest units of language that convey meaning … Thus, inspiration is not a mere feature of paragraphs, sentences, or the general drift of a passage. Within the proper framework of interpretation, the very words themselves (in the original Hebrew and Greek texts) were inspired. In the heat of theological debate, Jesus defended views in which his entire case turned on an implicit tense of a verb (Matthew 22:32) or the choice of a single word (Matthew 22:43-45). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that even the smallest letter or stroke of God’s Word would be fulfilled (found to be true) …

Finally, Jesus held a plenary view of inspiration, i.e., that all the components of the Old Testament were equally inspired. This set him apart from some (e.g., the Sadducees) who accepted only the inspiration of the Books of Moses and others who held that the Law was more inspired than, say, the prophets. Not so for Jesus. In Luke 24:44 Jesus uses a widely employed threefold division to refer to the inspired canon of Scripture—“the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms”—a canon that includes the thirty-nine books of the Protestant Bible and excludes Intertestamental writings. However, in Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus uses an odd, lesser used phrase to refer to the same canon—“the Law or (not and) the Prophets.” In so doing, Jesus means to place the “Prophets” (the rest of the Old Testament) on an equal footing with the Books of Moses.

You can read the full article for Moreland’s explanation and defense of the above points.

Chad Knudson at The Road to Emmaus blog has posted a helpful summary for each of the twelve minor prophets, including how their message points towards Christ and the New Testament.

I think some difficulty people have when learning the message of the prophets is the key themes and ways in which each book points to Christ. Thus, I would like to focus on the twelve minor prophets and provide a summary statement along with Scriptures of how each book points to and finds its fulfillment in Christ.

Chad runs an excellent blog with articles focused around the theme of Biblical Theology, or as Chad describes it: “the unfolding revelation of Scripture as it finds its fulfillment and consummation in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:1ff).”

Related articles:

• Reading the Prophets (1)
• Reading the Prophets (2)
• Reading the Prophets (3)
• Blogging with Habakkuk series