The Lord has placed several dear brothers in my life, and it’s my pleasure to let them write a post whenever they so desire. Today, you’ll be hearing a word from Wade Williams, a former high school rival of mine turned close friend whom God has used to encourage and convict me in my faith. Wade, a high school math teacher in Starkville, MS, loves God’s Word, especially preaching and teaching the “big story” of the Bible. I hope you enjoy this.
As we are approaching the end of another year, everyone is getting ready to make New Year’s resolutions. For Christians there is one resolution that is extremely common: “I want to Read my Bible more.” Every Christian knows (or at least should know) the importance of being immersed in the Word of God. However, application of that knowledge is sometimes lacking.
That is why I believe it is important for Christians to be on some type of schedule when it comes to reading the Bible. It gives a concrete definition of what it means to “Read my Bible more”. A Bible reading plan is a very practical way to get that concrete schedule. A Bible reading plan also gets Christians to face every Bible reader’s dreaded foe: THE OLD TESTAMENT! There is a great desire among Christians today to focus only on the New Testament, and the Old Testament is passed off as boring and/or hard to understand. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the whole Bible is about Jesus (Luke 24:27). This means that the Old Testament is key in understanding the full scope of Jesus’ life and work.
Below is a list of Bible reading plans, which was taken from Justin Taylor’s blog, to help you become a more consistent reader. There are a number of different plans. Some require reading every day, and some have “catch-up days” added at the end of each month. Some take you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once, while others go through the entire Bible once.
It is my hope that every Christian can find one that will suit them so that we can all grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Indeed, I pray that we may become “approved workmen rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15),” to the point that the Word becomes “implanted (James 1:21)” within us. The Word promises that if we become a people who are soaked in the Scriptures, we will be “like a tree planted by a stream of living water that yields its fruit in season, whose leaf does now wither (Psalm 1:3),” and our speech will be “seasoned with salt so that we will know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:6).” May God bless the reading of His Word!
The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan– In this plan, you will read through the Bible once in a year. It’s helpful because there are only 25 readings each month, which leaves you with some “catch-up days” at the end of the month.
M’Cheyne Bible Plan– Over the course of the year, this popular plan will take you through the New Testament twice, the Psalms twice, and the rest of the Old Testament once.
Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System– This plan is pretty intense, but you will devour a lot of Word (10 chapters a day to be exact) if you stick with it. You can see blogger Tim Challies talk about here.
ESV Bible Reading Plans– This is the website of the ESV Bible, and it offers 12 different plans. Check this out if you don’t like one of the others.
Check out Justin Taylor’s original post to discover more reading plans.
Also, here’s a link to a whole bunch or articles to help you understand how the OT relates to the NT.
Update: Justin Taylor posted a new list of Bible reading plans this morning. You can check it out here.
Cody A. Cunningham 
Two unpublished plans (so far as I know) that have benefited me are very simple. One, 5 psalms and 1 proverb. This one, obviously, is not a full reading plan. However, it is helpful for pastors or students who are reading large amounts of other biblical material for school and/or preaching. And two, 3 chapters OT and 3 chapters NT. This is the one I’m currently on. It moves through OT once and NT twice.
As a side note, both of these plans should be used in conjunction with memorization as well. The first is purely devotional and could be paired with memorizing doctrinal passages or storying narrative passages. The second will move through seasons of only narrative passages and could be paired with memorization of doctrinal and devotional passages.
I’m a huge fan of chronological Bibles. I read through one in a year. You read Psalms that David wrote alongside the biblical accounts of the corresponding events. (For instance, reading Psalm 51 around the same time that you read about David and Bathsheba). There were many other ways in which the Bible was really woven together to make it one story. It was eye-opening.