Are you ready to read the Bible in a year but unsure where to start?

Reading the Bible in a year is a great goal for many Christians. It is a popular reading plan because you get to read through all of Scripture and see the whole story.

Many of us tend to read easier books and avoid more challenging ones. This plan requires you to read it all and have the discipline to stick with it, even when we are in books or passages that are harder to understand.

All of Scripture matters and it is a good practice to make sure you have read all of it.

Many Christians enjoy the challenge of reading the Bible in a year. It requires discipline and determination to complete and gives you a sense of satisfaction at the end.

If you have been here for a while, you will know I have not had a great personal experience with Bible in a year reading plans.

I tried reading the Bible in a year when I was much newer to my faith and had very little Bible knowledge under my belt. This led to me feeling overwhelmed and ashamed about missing days or dreading opening my Bible.

I realized I wasn’t understanding anything I was reading so I decided to slow down and take a slower route. Now that I have a couple of years of studying the Bible for understanding, I could do the Bible in a year and likely be successful.

In fact, I plan to read through the Bible in a year in 2025.

Why You Shouldn’t Read the Bible in A Year

Reading the bible in a year is not a task everyone should do. It is a rewarding challenge, but it can also be overwhelming. Reading Scripture is never unfruitful, but trying to take on too much can do more harm than good.

We want to engage with God’s Word in a way that excites us to open it daily. For me, that was learning how to study to understand the Bible. Once I had that skill, reading large amounts wasn’t as overwhelming anymore.

You should not read the Bible in a year if:

• You are a brand-new Christian
• You have little to no Bible knowledge
• You want a deep understanding of Scripture, rather than an overview
• You do not know how to study the Bible for yourself yet
• You have no one helping you be accountable

Tips for Successfully Reading the Bible In A Year

• Prepare to move fast. Bible in a year plans are a lot of Scripture every single day. Missing just one day can leave you speeding through 10-20 chapters to catch up. You will need to be strategic and dedicated to complete this reading plan.
• Use a variety of methods to read your Bible. Last year the young adult ministry my husband and I lead read through all of the New Testament in 21 days.This reading plan was fast. I was challenged to get creative to get those chapters in. I have two little ones at home so my free time is slim, but I managed to do it. How? I had to utilize multiple methods. Some days I read the chapters on my phone, took my Bible with me to read while my kids played at my feed and I listened to the audio Bible while I did the dishes, and rocked my kids to sleep.
• Utilize resources that motivate you. If you know you need variety or you prefer time order, use one of those plans (listed below). If a new journal or new yearly Bible (also listed below) will help to motivate you, do that!
• Get accountability. Find a friend or a group of friends who want to read the Bible in a year together so you can challenge each other, discuss what you are reading, and keep each other accountable. If you don’t have anyone near you who you can do this with, there a plenty of online groups and Facebook groups who read the Bible in a year together.
• Use a tracker or checklist. It is important to keep track of your progress, not only so you actually read the whole Bible in a year, but so you can see your accomplishment visually. Many of us are motivated by checking off a to-do item or coloring in a box. This type of positive feedback can help to keep you motivated throughout the entire year.

Popular Bible In A Year Reading Plans

There are many different ways you can read through the Bible in a year. Using a premade plan will ensure you aren’t stopping in the middle of a chapter and that you actually finish within a year. Here are some of the most popular plans:

Genesis to Revelation

This type of plan follows the Bible in order, as it is written. It begins with Genesis 1 and ends with Revelation. This type of reading plan is also called a canonical reading plan or book order plan. This plan allows one to read each book in its entirety before moving to the next.

You can find a free canonical reading plan here.

Chronological

Chronological reading plans take the Bible and reorder the readings to tell the story of the Bible as the events occurred on the historical timeline.

The book order reading plan’s events do not occur in historical order so this type of plan is great for a newer Christian who wants to understand the events of the Bible better.

This plan offers some variety while still reading the Bible in a logical order.

You can find a free chronological reading plan here.

Old & New Testament

This yearly Bible reading plan follows book order but pulls passages from the Old and the New testaments to read together each day. This allows for you to read the Bible in book order, but adds some variety.

Many find the New Testament easier to read than the Old Testament. This plan works well for those who need a “quick win” reading to keep going with their plan.

You can find a free NT/OT reading plan here.

Topical or Theme Based Plans

Topical Bible in a year reading plans group passages of the Bible together, rather than reading in any particular order.

This type of plan works great if your brain needs variety to stay engaged and also likes neat “groups” to read together.

Be cautious with these kinds of plans, as someone else grouping the topics requires some interpretation to do and that can cause passages to be read out of context.

You can find a free thematic-style Bible reading plan here.

Sampling Plan

A sampling Bible reading plan pulls multiple passages into one daily reading, for the entire year. This is similar to the Old and New Testament plan, but will also pull in a psalm or proverb. Plans that jump around also fall into this category.

The ESV One Year Bible listed below follows this type of plan.

You can find even more free Bible in a year reading plans in the YouVersion App.

Bible in a Year Resources

The reason many struggle with reading the Bible in a year is a lack of tools. You certainly can use just a bible and a free reading plan to do this, but there is nothing wrong with needing a bit more guidance.

Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there to assist you with reading the Bible in a year.

This beautiful spiral-bound journal includes a topical yearly reading plan laid out by week. Each week has additional devotional content for that week’s reading and is grouped by topic.

Each week includes study questions to journal to deepen your understanding of the Bible as well as beautiful illustrations.

The Bible Recap lays out the entire Bible chronologically and includes summaries of each daily reading.

This is great for small groups, families, or teams to read through the Bible in a year together.

There is also a Bible Recap companion journal with study questions for each daily reading.

The One Year Bible guides you through the entire Bible, with the Scripture on the pages. This is a Bible in the English Standard Version and follows a sampling plan.

This yearly Bible features a daily reading that includes an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a proverb and a Psalm. This plan works well if you need variety in your Bible reading to stay engaged.

The NLT One Year Chronological Study Bible combines all of my favorite resources into one. The Bible is broken down into daily readings in historical order and also includes study notes, maps, reflection questions, and more.

A study Bible is one of my favorite resources to help you learn to understand the Bible and this one is amazing for tacking a Bible in a year plan.

This type of study Bible comes in other translations if the New Living Translation is not your favorite. The NIV version is another version I would recommend.

Bible In A Year Podcasts

Listening to a podcast in addition to your Bible reading is a great way to saturate your life with God’s Word. Read it, study it, listen to it, and then hear it taught.

The Bible In A Year with Dr. Melody Stevens is a podcast that follows a Chronological reading plan. She walks you through the entire Bible using the Eden to Eternity Bible Study bundle from the Daily Grace, Co.

She also hosts a community who do this Bible reading plan together and is a great option if you are looking for other Christian women to do this plan with.

The Bible Recap Podcast with Tarah-Leigh Coble is a companion to the Bible Recap book listed above.

A Year In The Bible with Daily Grace is a production of the Daily Grace, Co.

Multiple seasons of this podcast follow their Bible studies, The Story of Redemption and Eden to Eternity. Both cover the whole Bible, one thematically and one chronologically.

The Daily Bible Podcast is another Chronological reading plan with incredible women guiding you through the Bible.

They also offer a community of women reading through the Bible in a year together, as well as a free printable schedule and tracker.

I pray all of these resources will help you read the Bible in a year and cultivate a deep desire for God’s Word.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of your Word.

What Bible in a year plan or resource are you using? Tell me in the comments so I can cheer you on!

Your Siste In Christ,