The books of the Bible

Please, LORD, hear my prayer and give me the understanding that comes from your word (Psalm 119:69). As I talked about last time, the Bible comprises 66 books divided into the Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).

It is crucial to have a systematic plan for reading the Bible because only when we read and study all of it throughout our lives can we get a comprehensive view of God's general revelation to humanity. Too many people only focus on their favorite verses or books. Worse yet, others don't even read the Bible. They are "hooked on a feeling" that they get from particular motivational speakers disguised as Bible teachers. However, they never open the Bible to read and study for themselves. Their relationship with God is secondhand at best. A systematic plan for Bible study and reading can help keep a person accountable while ensuring that they are getting a balanced diet of God's word and not just all the dessert parts. Another good reason to have Bible reading plans throughout your life is the more you read it and get to know it, the more it becomes a part of you, making you more equipped to make decisions, recognize God's voice, and always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope (1 Peter 3:15).

Included here is a three-year Bible reading plan from Tim LaHaye's book How to Study the Bible for Yourself. Also included is a Family Life Seminar template for starting your own spiritual journal that goes nicely with the three-year reading plan or could be used with your own reading plan if you already have one.

THREE-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

• 1 John (Every day for 7 days)
• The Gospel of John twice (4 chapters a day)
• The Gospel of Mark twice (4 chapters a day)
• The 10 short epistles of Paul (If possible read the entire epistle in one daily period: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon)
• The Gospel of Luke (4 chapters a day)
• The book of Acts (4 chapters a day)
• The book of Romans (2 – 3 chapters a day)
• The entire New Testament twice (4 chapters a day)
• The wisdom literature of the Old Testament (1 chapter daily from the book of Proverbs and 2 chapters daily starting in Job and working through Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon for 4 months.
• Selected books repeatedly (1 book every day for 30 days)
•  First John, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, James, Romans chapters 5-8, and John chapters 14-17
• Read the Bible through in one year using a blended plan of the Old and New Testaments

FIVE THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR DAILY SPIRITUAL JOURNAL

1. God's message to me today
2. A promise from God
3. A command to keep
4. A timeless principle
5. How does this apply to my life?

Happy studying!