Well, it seems my Valentines Day post will be about The Word – something I do love.

but his delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2

I am collecting here some links and information on various Bible reading plans. I think all of them have a lot of merit and fit for different people or at least different times of life.

Ligonier has a plan in their monthly magazine Tabletalk. Plus you get cool daily devotionals and weekend articles to read.

Discipleship Journal has three reading plans depending on the amount of time you have to spend.

See this great blog entry by Tim Challies about the plan I am currently using that actually touches 10 different chapters a day in 10 very different parts of the Bible. I am enjoying this because I never feel like I’m falling behind, but I am staying in all parts of the Word. And I love seeing some cross-over. Once chapter early in Job was echoed very well in the Psalm I read that day. Then as I read Hebrews I was also reading about the same sacrifices in the OT. You can do just 5 chapters a day and just take 2 days to do all 10 chapters. Some chapters take more time than others and I don’t consider this my deep study for the day. This is the one that keeps me in the Word and remembering all the truth and promises through out.

This article talks about how hard it can be just to open your Bible and has a great suggestion for young moms who are just so busy at this time of life. There is also a link to a Bible reading plan that lets you do whatever you can do on whatever day you find time, but at least gives you some guidance so you aren’t just lost trying to figure out what to read.

Then there is a convicting post at Vitamin Z that addresses whether we need to read the entire Bible in a single year anyway. Perhaps there is a need instead for meditating more deeply on just a few verses. This post includes a link to a Daily Bible Meditation Guide (not a “reading plan”) with scriptures chosen for meditation. There is no Leviticus or Deuteronomy or Chronicles in here. I think there is still a need to revisit those parts of Scripture. I am actually finding 1 Samuel a very good read this time – partly due to the notes from when Pastor David preached through it last year. But the passages here will do you a lot of good and are worthy of deeper study than a plan to read the entire Bible in a year would give you.

Keep it secret, keep it safe

There is also a need to memorize Scripture. Jerry Bridges mentions it The Pursuit of Holiness. We need to be in the Word, and we need to have the Word in our hearts and minds so the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind when we need to hear it, to be convicted or reassured or reminded. NavPress (of Discipleship Journal and mentioned by Jerry Bridges) has a Topical Memory System that has been used for ages.

Another good program is the Fighter Verse program that Desiring God promotes. I am not fond of card systems for various reasons, mainly because I just don’t keep the cards handy. It is available right from the Fighter Verses website for free. And the iPhone app (now that I have an iPhone) is very handy (and reasonably priced). There are 3 verse collections: Legacy (the original collection), the new primary collection, and the Extended Collection that promotes memorizing larger pieces of scripture. Each is a 5 year program and the iPhone app is really well done. You have the option of KJV, NIV, and ESV. My current Bible is an ESV and I like memorizing in that format. But I recently read an interview with Joni Erickson Tada where she stated that she uses the KJV for memorization because the rhythm of the language made it easier. I find that makes sense. I can recite the 23rd Psalm and the Apostles Creed in the more formal language much easier and faster than trying to remember the more modern versions. Not sure if that is due to the years of repitition when I was younger or that it really is easier to recall.

Lots of ways to do it, but the point is to do it. Be in the Word. Read it regularly, study it and meditate on it. And memorize it. Funny (sad really) how easily it is pushed aside and crowded out by other things.

My latest BookSneeze book is The Chronological Guide to the Bible from Thomas Nelson.

This year I am reading and following a blog set around The One Year Chronological Bible from Tyndale. While looking for this a friend and I also came across The Chronological Study Bible from Thomas Nelson. When the companion Guide came available I realized it would be a great addition to my library. I am very pleased with the contents of the Guide.

I read the entire Old Testament last year and found it very interesting to read through the books all at once. I was curious what it would be like to read the the books on the kings and the books by the prophets all in chronological order. This Guide is a great companion to provide some context. It can  be used to guide your reading order with any Bible.

The book itself is small, but high quality. I love those thick glossy reference book pages with vivid colors. The introductions do a great job of explaining how one goes about putting the Bible in chronological order. Issues and concerns are well addressed so the user knows what they are getting. Each section is about a different epoch and describes the state of the earth, a list of and description of the books of the Bible that relate events during that epoch, and major points of history and of the biblical accounts. There is also a chronological reading guide for each epoch or sub-epoch. These are placed in each chapter. My one recommendation would be to repeat all of those as an appendix.

The level of detail is really wonderful, and the format makes it very approachable with time lines, lists, and well delineated sections of informational paragraphs. In reading the first few epochs, I found the text a little heavy on showing how other cultures had rituals or explanations that were very similar to the Bible. I agree with the facts and think the finding is interesting. But sometimes the book seemed to interpret the biblical event as just another instance of this, rather than as relating the people of God acting as God directed. This doesn’t happen too often, and other sections are much clearer in this respect.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Great blog entry from James Macdonald about how to read the Scripture to benefit.

Read it. I suggest taking at least 15 minutes to go through two or three chapters at a time.

Question It

Because you’re just starting out, I’ll suggest some questions, and over time you can develop your own.

1. “What portion of my reading stands out to me?” You’ll read two or three chapters, and you’ll feel drawn to a certain part. Go back to that part and ask the following questions.
2. “Why does this part have my attention?” What is it about this that has caught my attention? To help you answer that question, use the remaining questions.
3. “Is there an example for me to follow?” I can’t tell you how many times God’s Word has impacted my life just from saying these simple words: “Is there an example for me to follow?” All of a sudden it’s like—BOOM! It jumps right off the page: “James, you should be more like that!” I love it when God’s Word speaks to me in this way and calls me to be more of what the Lord requires.
4. “Is there an error for me to avoid?” It’s very comforting to know that if I have unknowingly stepped in a wrong direction or made an unwise decision, God’s Word can reveal that to me. It’s easy to see the mistakes others make, but much harder to see our own mistakes. This is where the Word of God becomes that “mirror” we talked about earlier. Is there an error for me to avoid?
5. “Is there a duty for me to perform?” Is there an action that God’s Word is calling me to take? Is there some matter of importance that I am neglecting in my home or office or in my personal life? If so, I want to know what it is so I can work on it. God’s Word will often reveal a duty we need to perform.
6. “Is there any promise for me to claim?” So often God’s Word brings strength and encouragement. As you study the Bible, you will hear the Lord committing Himself to certain things or to act in certain ways. As you come to those promises, you might just acknowledge, “Yes, God! You are like this, and You’ve promised to be this way for all my life, and I trust You.” Your heart will be thrilled as you learn and review the promises of God.
7. “Is there a sin for me to confess?” This I suppose is obvious in some respects. You won’t read the Bible long until you come across passages that reveal to you the “error of your ways.” But one of the promises that helps with that is 1 John 1:9, which says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Plan It

This is absolutely essential if you are going to benefit from the Bible as much as you could for the rest of your life. Make a plan of action regarding how you will implement what you are learning. Have a journal open beside your Bible and write some notes. Write some thoughts in the margin of your Bible. When the Word convicts you about anger or deceit or selfishness, have a strategy to deal with those sins. Make your plan specific and measurable.

Pray It

So often people are unsure of what to say in personal prayer. When you are praying back the truths of God’s own Word, you can be confident you are praying as God would have you do. You can also be confident that God will respond to what you are asking if the direction truly comes from His Word.

Share It

When you’ve learned something from God’s Word, you have to share it with somebody else. Take time to relay something about your study to your spouse or your roommate or to a friend at school.

First, the question for this past week:

What do you do in the in-between times? Those times when you are in-between-Bibles or in-between-books of the Bible, or in-between Bible studies. Do you ever feel a bit lost, a bit unsure of where to go next? what to read or study next? It’s not that you don’t want to read–you do–it’s just you may be a bit indecisive OR you may be a bit overwhelmed with all the choices.

This year there is always something to read to keep up with the Wednesday night sessions working through the Bible. I even read Leviticus this week in preparation for that.

In general, I do have some time spent wondering where to go next. Do I jump into something big like Isaiah or go with a smaller (often neglected) prophet? Or do I want to be in the New Testament? Usually, something comes along (a verse mentioned by someone else, a Sunday School lesson, or other) that guides me to another book to read.

Status in reading the Bible this week:

As mentioned, I read all of Leviticus (with very little skimming). A friend mentioned a sermon in a series on Leviticus that did a great job of introducing the sacrificial system and talking about what it means to us. That definitely helped give me some structure for my reading. It’s on this page. Go down to the 2/17/08 sermon.

That means Numbers is next. Plus some time in the Psalms.

I started by reading all 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Matthew just before Christmas, Mark over the holiday, Luke done by 12/30, and John by Jan 2. Certainly not a devotional reading at that pace, but a good refresher of the entire story line all at once, like a good book or story would be read. And close enough to note the similarities and differences between them.

I listened to Max Maclean read Galatians on 1/3. I listened to the Book of Acts during the next week. I did a summary reading of Genesis on 1/21 (I read all of Genesis last year, so this was refresher before the Wednesday night service).

This week I read Exodus for 1/28 Wednesday night’s service.I read Amos on 1/23. I have been working on Job through January, I finished it Wednesday 1/28. I have also read a few Psalms (I’m working to memorize Psalm 103) this month.