How to Read the Bible in 70 Days

Have you ever wanted to read through the whole Bible, but never been able to commit yourself to a yearlong task? Have you tried the yearlong Bible reading and found yourself unable to discern the overall theme of each book you read? With a lot of diligence and some organization, you can actually read through the entire Bible in 70 days or less!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• The Bible (any translation, but the older translations do take longer to read)
• List of books of the Bible from longest to shortest

1. Carve out time in your daily schedule for uninterrupted Bible reading. You should not do this at work or at school, or during a time when you know you will be interrupted repeatedly. Most people do not have the luxury of taking large amounts of time off from school or work, so this is the hardest part.
2. Make a list of all of the books of the Bible from largest to smallest by the number of chapters (the book of Psalms is actually 5 books, each one a different length--break it up). The reason for this is so that you can more easily estimate how much free time you need after you have read the longest book--you need progressively less time as books get shorter. You can find a copy of the list on the following website: www.falcofamily.net.
3. Make a commitment to yourself and to God that you will not give up and will keep reading each book from start to finish, no matter how long it takes. The most difficult part of this task is not the volume of reading; it is our own human nature to procrastinate. Pray for strength and perseverance from the Holy Spirit, and for enlightenment. You don't want to do all of this and not learn anything!
4. Pay attention to overall themes, recurring topics, events and literary structures, to help you discover what the author (and the Holy Spirit) is trying to tell his audience. Do not pay attention to the clock. What is important is what you are reading, not what time it is.
5. Check off each book you have read and post the list in a visible place, to remind you what you are to read next, and to encourage you through your progress!

Tips & Warnings

• If you live with someone (i.e., spouse, friends) having someone else agree to take care of errands and household duties will greatly benefit you!
• By the time you get to the last 1/3 of the books of the Bible, you will be able to read the whole book in less than one hour. Since you will be able to read some books in less than 15 minutes, it is possible to read the whole Bible in less than 70 days.
• If you begin your readings on the right day of the week, reading of the Psalms should naturally occur each Sunday for the first 5 weeks. This is a great, uplifting way to start your Sunday before church!
• Attempting this task WILL require a LOT of time initially. It took me about 3-3 1/2 hours to read the longest books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc). This can get exhausting, but I did take a couple 5 minute breaks once each hour.
• Do not attempt this task as an end in itself. This is the Word of God, and we should approach it with reverence and humility, seeking only to discover that which the Spirit of God would move Himself to impart to us.