Do you spend time in God’s Word every day? At the beginning of a new year is a great time to challenge yourself to set goals and initiate new habits. I can’t think of a better habit to develop than systematically reading through God’s word. Even better is to find a way to include your children in some way with your Bible reading. If you love Bible reading and study, your child will see this and most will absorb and emulate that love until it is their own.

Dottie Powell, a good friend of mine has been drawing pictures in a Bible for her granddaughter. I’ve been so impressed with her unique way of sharing her enthusiasm for God’s Word. Dottie said that her interest in doing this started when she saw a mamma journal and draw in her Bible at a time when her son had stage 4 liver cancer. He was hospitalized for treatments so the lady had long hours in the hospital. That gave Dottie the idea to start journaling for Isley and to look to Pinterest for additional ideas. This is a link to an article about the lady who inspired Dottie: Mary Esther Elam. Below are several of Dottie’s drawings in her granddaughter’s Bible.

A great many children’s devotional books and Bible storybooks have been written for helping your young children gain a love for the Bible. Take a peek at “Our Books,” the books written by the authors on this blog, where you will find many devotional books and Bible storybooks written for children.

Suggestions for reading through the Bible:

5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan by Navigators. Read through the New Testament in a year by reading five chapters each week. Suggestions are included for digging deeper as you follow the plan.

Read the Bible in a year in chronological order. This plan is arranged according to the times Bible scholars believe the accounts actually happened. A fascinating approach to reading through the Bible.

Read the Bible in one or two years. This plan has four reading schedules, two from the Old Testament and two which include all of the New Testament and Psalms. You can follow all four schedules in one year or follow only two schedules, one from the OT and one from the NT then follow the other two schedules in the second year. The PDF file includes monthly bookmarks to help keep you on track.

There is also a great website to help you create your own plan based on your personal interests and choices. This website is called Bible Reading Generator. My friend created a plan using the Bible Reading Generator website. It includes two catch-up days each week for when she gets behind. Here is a link to a PDF file of her Bible reading plan.

I am currently involved in Community Bible Study so I am studying in depth from several books of the Bible each year. But I miss reading through the Bible each year. In the interest of guarding my time, my plan for this year is to listen through the Bible as I get my exercise on my exercise bike and/or go on walks. This way I’ll still be able to keep up with other commitments and still go through the entire Bible on a regular plan.

I hope this post has inspired you to find creative ways got get into God’s word more in 2024. What are your plans for Bible reading tin the new year?

Post by Janice D. Green, author of The Creation; Jonah, the Fearful Prophet; and Baby Jesus . . . Messiah!

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