You want to read the Bible, but you don’t know where to start. These five tips for reading the Bible will help you read the entire Bible more consistently for longer. I won’t recommend a reading plan. I’ll simply give some advice to get started.
1. Don’t read too much.
It may sound counterintuitive. But many well laid plans for regular Bible reading are ruined by ambitious goals. Slow and steady wins the race. Make Bible reading a habit, not an event. For most people, one chapter per day is the best starting place.
2. Read through books.
I would avoid reading just one or two verses at a time. There are benefits to studying and meditating on one verse, but the Bible wasn’t originally written in verses. We need to read longer texts to understand the meaning of the verses. As others have said, “A text without a context is a con.”
3. Alternate between the Old and New Testaments.
I would encourage reading a book in the New Testament and following this with one in the Old. I mainly recommend doing this because most people find the New Testament easier to read. Reading through books of the New Testament helps maintain momentum.
4. Start smaller.
Choose a book of the Bible that you can read in one week or less (seven chapters or less). If you start with a short New Testament book, as I recommend, you may want to follow that with another New Testament book like one of the gospels before jumping into the Old Testament. Even when you do jump into the Old Testament, you may want to start with one of the smaller books like Ruth or Esther. Reading some shorter books first will build momentum to a long-term habit.
5. Connect your reading time to another habit.
You should try reading at the same time each day. I would even recommend the same location. Why do you brush your teeth every day? It has become a habit that you don’t even have to think about or make a choice to do. You can connect your Bible reading to other daily habits like drinking your morning coffee.
Bonus: Use helps when you need them.
To get started, use a good study Bible. I recommend the ESV Study Bible. I would also recommend the Old Testament and New Testament overview videos from BibleProject (you can find the Old Testament videos here and the New Testament ones here). I also have found David Guzik’s free online Bible commentary helpful (https://enduringword.com/). These resources can answer questions as you read that could confuse you so much that you get discouraged.
Disclaimer: Although I recommend these resources, I don’t endorse everything in them.
Getting Started
If you follow these tips, you can develop a habit of Bible reading. Once you have an enduring habit, you can then read more chapters each day, add more time to pray for Scripture, or add additional in-depth study of specific books.
And don’t forget: The best plan for reading Scripture is the one you use.
Chandler Warren 