Yesterday I finished reading through the Bible – again. I read the last day’s assignment in the One Year Bible New International Version published by Tyndale. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read through the Bible, but I try to do it at least every other year. I like the discipline of reading the whole Bible in a year – and it isn’t hard to do. You just have to read three chapters a day. But you really have to read three chapters every day. If you get behind, it quickly becomes overwhelming.
The One Year Bible is my favorite way to read through the Bible in a year. It has a passage from the Old Testament (usually two chapters), a passage from the New Testament, a Psalm, and a few verses from Proverbs. When most people read the Bible, they start in Genesis, bog down in Leviticus, and quit before the end of the third book in the Bible. The One Year Bible keeps things moving even through the minutiae of Numbers.
I have read the Bible so many times because I am still discovering things about God and about my relationship with God. Every time I read the Bible, I swear that there are passages I never read before! Different passages speak to us at different times in our lives. Until we started doing genealogy last year, I skipped over most of the “begat” lists in the Bible. Now it is more interesting to me to see who is included and who isn’t. Even in the hardest chapters or most difficult passages, I still hear God speaking to me. I eagerly open the Bible each morning asking God “what do you want to to tell me today?”
Tyndale published the first One Year Bible in 1987. Since then they have published the One Year Bible in many different translations. You can read it in King James, New International, New Living, and New King James. There is a One Year Chronological Bible that orders the books a little differently and a One Year Bible Companion that gives you background information on what you are reading.
Since the first publication of the One Year Bible, Tyndale has published a lot of devotional books in the One Year category. You can read “One Year Praying through the Bible for your Kids,” “One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter,” or “One Year of Dinner Table Devotions.” I have also read “One Year Book of Hymns” and “One Year Christian History.” You can also download the One Year Bible or read it through an online program. You can recognize a One Year book by the logo to the right.
So, what do you think? Are you up to the challenge of reading through the Bible in one year? Or maybe you want to start smaller and commit to devotions every day for the next year. You can start with any of the One Year books. How will God speak to you if you are disciplined about taking time for him this year?
