Not only must the Bible be central in our gatherings as a church; but it must be central in our lives as individual members.
So let’s encourage each other to become serious about God’s Word. Let’s commit to be radically transformed by the life-changing power of the Scriptures (Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). For that to happen, we must commit to the daily diligent reading of the Scriptures.
For your convenience, here are some helpful tools for this endeavor. We’ve categorized them under 3 objectives in your reading: Read for survey, for study, and for your soul.
Read for Survey
These plans bring variety and a fresh approach to each day. It will be about 15-20 minutes of reading or listening to the Bible.
- Follow a simple printable Reading Plan for the year.
- Install the YouVersion Bible App on your smartphone or tablet and subscribe to the OneYear Bible reading plan (version of your choice). This app will deliver the reading by way of email, help you catch you up if you get behind, or even read it out loud to you (perfect for Atlanta traffic time)!
- The Community Bible Experience: Books of the Bible. These specially developed Bibles are designed to be more like the original. No verse numbers, no chapter numbers, no cross-references, no red letters, and no paragraph headings. Each provides a reading plan to be utilized in for a small group discussion.
Read for Study
- Invest in a good Study Bible
- The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV)
- The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB, ESV, NKJV, )
- ESV Study Bible
- Listen to a sermon series through a book of the Bible.
- Find another person(s) to meet with on a weekly basis for encouragement, discussion, and prayer regarding what you are reading. You could utilize the Community Bible Experience or follow the One to One Bible Reading concept
- Utilize tools to increase your understanding of how to really study the Bible. Women of the Word and Dig Deeper are two excellent resources to help you become a serious student of the Word.
Read for Soul
- Build a biography of God (Download an example to get you started – Biography of My God)
- Praying Scripture. This article provides a very helpful and practical explanation for a simple way to both read and pray the Scriptures.
Other Resources
Scripture Memory + Meditation Helps
- Scripture Typer – Bible Memory System
- The Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love (Milton Vincent)
- Turn Away Wrath: Meditations to Control Anger and Bitterness (Rand Hummel)
- Fear Not: Meditations to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Discouragement (Rand Hummel)
- Lest Ye Fall: Meditations to Fight Moral Impurity (Rand Hummel)
- What Do I Know about My God? (Mardi Collier)
Prayer Helps
- Prayer NB App
- Praying the Bible (Don Whitney)
- Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
- Handbook to Prayer (Kenneth Boa)
For the kids