"But One Thing Is Necessary" (Bible Reading Plans For 2024)
My aim is simple: I want to encourage you to read the Bible daily in 2024.
Let’s just say that you decide to accept the challenge. You will have to know from the outset that it won’t be easy. Throughout this coming year—if not even right now as you read these very words—your commitment to set aside focused time to draw near to God each day will be perpetually attacked. A ruthless siege will be laid against you by what Jesus called “the cares of the world”—i.e. our children’s education, broken sinks, flat tires, vacation plans, marital conflict, grocery shopping, stress at the office, fatigue, friendly invitations, stomach bugs, raking leaves, disappointment, the expectations of others, exciting opportunities, and all kinds of other normal events of life in a fallen world. We will all have to navigate these things; no one gets to avoid them or the threat that they bring to our fidelity to God. In the midst of the frantic pace of daily life it will not merely be easy to lose the right perspective about the importance of God’s Word, it will be a fight not to.
Jesus told us that “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few,” (Matt. 7:14). Throughout this year, you will be repeatedly tempted to believe that all of the other demands of life are more pressing and more important (at least in the moment) than your time in God’s Word. You will be mercilessly tempted to find loopholes and invent excuses to avoid what Jesus called ‘going into our room, shutting the door, and meeting with our Father in secret,’ (Matt. 6:6). You will be encouraged by your own sinful heart to become an expert at justifying your neglect of meaningfully pursuing God. Satan himself will even whisper lies into your ears such as these: “There is no verse that says you must read the Bible daily.”
Against the onslaught that you and I will face, I hold up the only Sword that can slay our sin and deliver us (Eph. 6:17). I offer nothing but simple statements of truth which have been drawn from the Word of God itself. I believe that the children of God will hear in these statements the voice of their wise and loving heavenly Father calling out to them. And that through his counsel, we will find both the perspective and motivation that we need to persevere in our daily pursuit of God.
How Are We To Think of the Word of God?
The seed of the Word—as it is nourished and watered by the Spirit of grace—is the principle means by which God produces a harvest of godliness in the lives of his children (Matt 13:23). According to the Spirit of God speaking in holy Scripture:
The Word of God is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ, (II Tim 3:15).
The Word of God is the only sure foundation which shall endure the trials of life, (Matt. 7:24-25).
The Word of God is of greater necessity to us than bread for the body, (Deut 8:3).
The Word of God is more precious and desirable than even the greatest earthly wealth, (Ps. 19:10).
The Word of God has manifold uses that greatly profit the souls of all who receive it, (II Tim. 3:16).
The Word of God gives hope to the guilty who repent, (Ps. 130:5).
The Word of God revives the soul, (Ps. 19:7).
The Word of God makes wise the simple, (Ps. 19:7).
The Word of God enlightens us to all moral purity and righteousness, (Ps. 19:8).
The Word of God warns us of dangers and directs us to blessing and peace, (Ps. 19:11).
The Word of God fully equips us for faithful service in every good work, (II Tim. 3:17).
The Word of God always accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent, (Isa. 55:10-11).
In every part, the Word of God points us to Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (Jn. 5:39; Col. 2:3).
Through the ministry of the Word, the souls of God’s people are ‘washed’ from corruption (Eph 5:26), ‘nourished’ toward maturity (I Pet 2:2), ‘renewed’ in perspective (Rom 12:2), and ‘sanctified’ in truth (John 17:17). From the public preaching of God’s Word each Lord’s Day (I Tim. 4:13), to the discipleship provided by husbands and parents in the home (Deut. 6:6-7; Eph. 6:4), to private devotions in the secret place with our Father (Matt. 6:6)—the Word of God will “never return void,” (Isa 55:11).
Sadly, it is true that a person can love the Bible without loving God. But it is not true that a person can love God without loving the Bible, (Jn. 8:47). “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” says the Lord Jesus (John 10:27). The “voice” of our God and Savior is “heard” through his holy Word. His beloved sheep “follow [him]” by heeding what he has spoken to them therein.
The Most Necessary Thing
There may be a lot of things you do not have time for in 2023. But the Bible is not one of them.
We are all prone to be like Martha, “anxious and troubled about many things,” (Lk 10:41). And this is why we too need to hear Jesus’ counsel to her harried and distracted heart: “But one thing is necessary,” he told her. Mary, her sister, took a different approach. By choosing instead to seat herself at the feet of the Messiah even in the midst of the busyness of life, Jesus praised her by saying that “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Will the same be able to be said of you and I at the close of this New Year?
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:2b
Bible Reading Plans
1. Daily Reading Plan
(Whole Bible In One Year)
This reading plan will guide you book by book through the entire Bible in one year with daily readings from the Old and New Testaments. This plan is relatively simple, straightforward, and provides a good entry-level quantity of reading that most Christians will find realistic and accessible.
2. Monthly Reading Plan
(Whole Bible In One Year)
For those of you who struggle with with the rigidity of assigned daily readings, but still desire the help of a guided approach to reading through the whole Bible in one year, this monthly reading plan may be a great fit. Rather than assigning specific readings for each day, this plan has broken the sixty-six books of the Bible into the twelve months of the year, assigning particular books to particular months. By doing this, the reader can determine for themself how much they read on which days, allowing more freedom for the variations of life. If you have a particularly busy day, perhaps you will only read a chapter or two, but then on other days where you have more time you may choose to read more. The goal is to complete the assigned books within the assigned month rather than on specific days.
3. Daily Feast Reading Plan
(OT Once + NT & Psalms Twice In One Year)
This time-tested approach is based on the bible reading plan created by the Scottish Pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843). Like the daily reading plan outlined above, this plan also provides assigned daily readings from the Old and New Testaments that guide the reader through the entire Bible in one year. However, in addition to one complete reading of the Bible, this plan also leads readers through the New Testament and Psalms a second time. As a result, this plan requires a bit more quantity of reading each day. This is the most robust plan of those included in this list, but will be rewarding for those who are able to keep up with the heavier pace.
4. Personal Pace Reading Plan
(Reading the Whole Bible At Your Own Pace)
Maybe you are someone who feels too much pressure by the timeline's associated with the other daily and monthly plans. For some people, the time-factor can be a stress rather than a help. If that sounds like your personality, this approach may be the one best suited for you.
The Personal Pace Reading Plan provides a chart that covers every chapter of the Bible. However, readings are not assigned to any particular dates. Instead, this plan allows the reader to entirely set their own pace as they journey through the whole Bible while still being able to chart their progress and keep track of which books they have already read and have yet to read. The only caution with this plan is that it requires a higher measure of self-discipline in order to make sure we are not under-nourishing our soul by trying to survive on occasional nibbles rather than regular meals.
Honorable Mention Plans
Two other approaches which are worth mentioning are the Chronological Reading Plan and the Two-Year Reading Plan. The names of each of these plans speak for themselves, however a few additional points are noted below.
Two-Year Reading Plan
If you are someone who prefers a slower pace of reading, the two year plan may be a good fit for you. The amount of reading will be much less than some other plans while still providing a helpful guide through the whole of the Scriptures.
Chronological Reading Plan
On the other hand, the Chronological Plan may also be a great option for someone who is familiar with the Bible and has read through it several times, but perhaps would like to focus in on understanding the overall progression of redemptive history.