I'm a firm believer that Christians should be actively involved in God's word -- reading it, meditating on it and applying it in their lives. I also fully believe that everyone has their own speed and method of digestion, so to speak.
Some people read a chapter a day, others read a pre-determined number of pages. I've heard of some who just read a verse or two at a time. What matters is that you are allowing God to speak through His word on a regular basis. It is His spirit that does the teaching and speaks to your heart.
God put a basic routine on my heart several years ago of taking His word in on a daily basis through multiple books at a time while still moving along chapter by chapter.
This may not be for everyone, but it has been a blessing to me.
Basically, ideally, I read five chapters a day, each one from a different book of the Bible. Not all at once.
I noticed years ago that when I'd read out of the New Testament for a long period of time, I'd start to lose connection with the Old Testament, with what God's plan from the beginning was and still is.
When I'd read in the Old Testament for a long period of time, I'd notice myself gravitating toward more legalistic thoughts -- falling in line with a certain set of rules rather than worshiping my saviour.
So I began doing a chapter out of the Old Testament and the New Testament each day and found a greater appreciation of the fullness of God's word. I was also blessed to see more connections between the law and Jesus and how they relate to each other.
Here's what I do today (if it sounds good to you, try it. If not, don't. Just make sure you read every day! You're life will change, I promise you that!):
MORNINGS
1 Chapter from a New Testament book not including the four gospels
1 Chapter out of Proverbs
Reading the New Testament epistles, and the church history presented in Acts, is so important to understanding how we are to live as Christians today and how God would have us present Him to an unbelieving world. It contains amazing council for marriage, parenthood, work life, servanthood, friendships and how to understand this struggle with sin that we will have to live with until Jesus takes us home.
My dad, as do many, reads a chapter of Proverbs for each day of the month (seeing as how there are 31 chapters). It contains remarkable wisdom for daily living, penned largely by the man scripture calls the wisest who ever lived -- King Solomon. It's a habit I have picked up and have been tremendously blessed by.
MIDDAY
1 Chapter from one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
For a long time, I just included the gospels as part of my daily NT reading. When they came up in the cycle, I'd read them. But I came to feel a need to be constantly reading the words of Jesus, in big red print. There are teachings and prayers from our God and Savior within those pages that are just too valuable, too important, to only read every couple of months. While the rest of the NT provides tremendous commentary on Jesus and our relationship with Him, the gospels provide immediate study into his life -- how he talked, how he served and how he lived. Scripture says that He understands our trials and temptations, because He was subject to the same things during His time on earth. Why wouldn't we want a daily reminder of that time, and how He reacted to it?
EVENING
1 Chapter from the Old Testament
1 Chapter out of Psalms
I've heard it said many times that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The OT provides important insights into our need for a Savior, showing through the law how incapable we were/are of fulfilling it on our own and showing the true, untouchable righteousness of God. It also repeatedly paves the way for Jesus, both in prophecy and typology. It shows repeated examples of a just God with a heart of mercy for those that would love Him and honor Him. We are given a history of His creation, His people and His plan to draw mankind to Him.
After that, I can't think of a better way to end a long day than by reflecting on the goodness of God and praising Him for the works He has done. Thankfully, he has given us a gigantic volume of similar thoughts in Psalms. Through those 150 songs, you see victory, defeat, confession, despair, success, tragedy and a whole lot of incredible worship. You see life. The themes presented in Psalms come from the hearts of people going through the same things we go through on daily basis. Ordinary people, extraordinary circumstances, and -- most of all -- an incredible God.
It should also be noted, I read a chapter out of the same book, in order, until I am finished. When I get through the New Testament, I start over. When I finish the OT, I start over. Same with Psalms and Proverbs. I just don't want it to sound like I'm randomly choosing a chapter out of different books every day.
