7 Practical Tips to Catch Up and Re-commit to your Bible Reading Plan.
Committing to reading the entire Bible is no easy feat. In fact, only 11% of people in the United States read the Bible on a daily basis(1). That means you are certainly not alone if you find yourself skipping out on several days or even weeks of reading your Bible even with a structured reading plan.
My first time reading the Bible from start to finish, I found myself nearly a month or more behind on the reading plan in the middle of the Old Testament. One skipped day would turn into three, which would turn into seven. I would attempt to binge read to catch up, only to find myself sound asleep and having no idea where I started or where I left off. But I was committed to not giving up, and therefore, became somewhat of an expert at finding opportunities to chomp away at my accumulating Bible reading debt.
My lackluster experience with reading the Bible is also one of the reasons why I created The Transparent Tribe, an accountability group for women to commit to consistent reading and studying of the Word of God. 2021 is our first year reading the Bible through together as a group, and I will be the first to admit that it gets rough at times. Let’s face it, making it anywhere past Exodus should be congratulated. And it’s hard to pay attention through the seemingly endless re-iterations and storytelling in The Chronicles.
But I am here to tell you that there is hope! Wherever you are in your Bible reading plan (especially if you are a part of The Transparent Tribe), you can catch up and recommit by applying these seven Bible reading tips every day!
1. Read multiple reading assignments per day.
There is no way around this one. If you are behind you will have to double (or triple) down on your daily reading in order to catch up to where you are supposed to be for the year. Keep reading to learn about some opportune times to sneak in a couple of chapters.
2. Commit to starting your morning with Bible reading.
From personal experience, if you schedule your Bible reading in the morning and commit to it, you will have the satisfaction of knowing it is completed and not lingering on your “to-do” list at the end of the day, increasing the likelihood that something else will come up and push this very important task further down the list. Including Bible reading as a part of your morning devotion or routine actually may disqualify it from the “to-do” genre and establish it as a part of your lifestyle, which is exactly what we are going for anyway.
3. Space out reading times to improve focus and retention.
I don’t know about you, but cramming Bible reading has never worked for me. So if you’re anything like me and find yourself struggling to focus or even stay awake after reading a few chapters, then spacing out your reading during different parts of the day will hopefully make catching up a lot easier.
4. Listen to the Bible using the Bible App.
One of my favorite Bible reading hacks is to simply listen to the Bible, either exclusively or while physically reading it. Using the audio Bible feature on the Bible app can allow you to take advantage of digesting the Word if your hands are “tied up” doing other things (like brushing your teeth) that would make holding a Bible pretty difficult. Not to mention you don't want drip toothpaste slobber on the Holy Word of God, right?
5. Speed up the audio on The Bible App.
If you are REALLY behind and need to read several reading assignments per day to catch up, then speeding up the audio may help you to catch up a little bit faster. I’ve never done this myself, but if you’re someone whose eyes tend to jump ahead of what you’re reading, this may be a good strategy for you to try out.
6. Avoid reading while sleepy.
If at all possible, avoiding reading when you feel exhausted can prevent having to re-listen or re-read chapters. Ironically, this can be exactly how you feel first thing in the morning, making a morning devotion seem like a horrible option. However, if you give yourself time to wake up, stimulate yourself with a warm face wash or brush your teeth, you may find that you actually are capable of committing to a morning devotion with The Word after all!
7. Suggestions for times to read the Bible.
Before you leave the bed.
After you wake up and say your morning prayer, instead of grabbing that phone and clicking on social media - click the Bible App instead and start your day off on the right foot.
Listen while in the shower/getting dressed.
A perfect option for those who are likely to fall right back asleep if they listen before getting out of bed. Listening while moving around should definitely help you stay awake.
Read/listen while eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Meal times are a great opportunity to settle down and dive into a good book. So why not use it to read your good ole’ Bible! This method obviously works best when not indulging in delicious and messy finger foods. Wings anyone?
Listen while commuting to/from work or school.
Another great opportunity to stimulate your mind with edifying sound. Instead of jamming out to your favorite radio station while commuting, try listening to your Bible app and then follow up with a full-blown car worship concert to thank God for what you’ve listened to and learned.
Read/Listen before bed (before getting too sleepy).
Many health websites that discuss sleep hygiene recommend reading as a part of a bedtime routine because it does help to relax the brain. So if you were going to read something anyway before bed, might as well read that Bible!
Sis, I hope and pray that these tips are simple and practical enough for you to feel like you have an actual chance at re-committing to your Bible reading plan. Give some of these tips a try and let the community know in the comments which ones were the most helpful! And if you are here to “ask for a friend” please feel free to share with anyone and everyone who might need some encouragement in this area. You can do this!
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