Here we are in June and you haven’t seen your Bible reading plan since February. You started off strong, but things got busy and not too deep into the New Year, you fell off your Bible reading plan. Maybe for you it wasn’t February. Maybe it was the second week of January. Maybe it was March or April. Whatever the case, you stopped your Bible reading plan and have therefore not been reading your Bible consistently.  You know that reading the Bible is important for the Christian life, but you can’t seem to stick to it and this is discouraging to you. Brother or sister, rest assured, we have all been there. In this article I want to offer you some encouragement in regard to falling off in your daily Bible reading and some ways to get back on track.

#1 - Daily Bible reading is NOT the gospel. Whether you read your Bible every day this year, or 30 days this year, your personal Bible reading progress isn’t earning God’s grace. Jesus purchased that for you on the cross. If you try to bring your Bible reading accomplishments to God in exchange for his grace, you will be sorely disappointed. Daily Bible reading isn’t the rabbit foot that keeps God off of your back for the day. It is a MEANS of grace that God gives you that allows you to learn more about Him and His Son Jesus. Don’t condemn yourself for falling off of your Bible reading plan. If you are in Christ, you are in Christ.

#2 - Bible reading plans are helpful, but they aren’t commanded in scripture. Just because you started one in January doesn’t mean you have to finish it if the plan wasn’t suitable for your current season of life or spiritual needs. A helpful saying to break free from the felt bondage of a reading plan is this - “Never be a slave to anything but Jesus.” If you fell off of your Bible reading plan, don’t try to work overtime to catch up. Kiss the plan goodbye and look ahead to something new.

#3 - Start something new. The options are limitless when approaching daily Bible reading. Here are a few ways you could re-commit to engaging Scripture on a daily basis.

- Pick one book of the Bible and read it over and over again until you feel like you know it really well. Example: Start with a small book like 1 John and read it once a day for 30 days. When you are done, go to another book.
- Tackle the whole Bible by simply reading one book at a time at your own pace. It’s as simple as stacking it before or after another habit you currently already have in your life. Example: “After I pour my coffee I am going to read my bible for 15 minutes” or, “Before I get dressed for the day I am going to read three chapters of the Bible.” Bible reading doesn’t have to be complicated. Make it a staple habit before or after a habit you already have in your life.
- Read the Bible side by side with a commentary. The Christ-Centered Exposition commentaries are great little devotional commentaries that can be read along side your Bible for greater understanding and application.
- Challenge yourself. Do a 120, 90, or even a 60 day blitz through the entire Bible. You would be surprised at how Scripture opens up to you when you read it in such a short amount of time. If you struggle to see how Scripture fits together as a story, I would highly recommend this for you.
- Read the upcoming Lord’s day Scripture text(s) everyday leading up to Sunday. For example, this coming Sunday’s passage is John 9:1-41. Simply read that passage every morning and prepare your heart for the exposition of it this coming Sunday.

It doesn’t matter how you read your Bible - just pick a route and go with it. If you need to call audibles and make changes along the way, that’s fine. Just keep on reading. This leads to my final point.

#4 - Persist in your Bible reading - just keep reading. It may not feel like you are learning much in the moment, but Bible reading isn’t a sprint. It is a marathon. We don’t come to know the Bible in just a few days, or years even. We come to know the Bible over a lifetime, and the more we come to know the Bible over time the more we come to know God and experience sweeter and more meaningful communion with Him. Again, the key is to just keep reading. If you miss one day of Bible reading, that’s fine, just don’t miss two. Make it a habit in your life that you never miss two days in a row.

Brother or sister, don’t be discouraged if you have fallen off in your Bible reading. Trust that you are still God’s in Christ, put the failures of past plans to bed, decide on a new direction for daily Bible reading and simply start reading. If myself of one of the other pastors can be of any help to you in your personal bible reading, please reach out. We would love to walk through that journey with you.