Bible Reading in 2026

In 2026 I plan to read through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Can’t wait!

It’s sure to be a rich time with three great benefits. First, focus. Jesus in John 8:31 called us to “abide in my word”—referring to the full Bible. It’s how he stirs his own priorities in us. Second, communion. Jesus wants us to know his Father. Reading offers direct access to God’s ways. And third, faith. Faith is our reception of Christ’s word. His Spirit opens the eyes of our hearts to see how God’s triune love changes life—freeing us from self while giving us real meaning.

Here’s the plan. I’ll start each day with some relational Bible reading. I’ll wake up, wash up, and get a coffee. Then I’ll be in my reading chair by six-thirty. Genesis1:1 comes up on New Year’s day, and I’ll aim to finish Revelation in April. Then I’ll start a second reading. After that, on to a third. Reading for half an hour each day produces three full read-throughs a year. And what’s the aim? To give Jesus premier heart-time to begin a new day. It’s a simple way to seek him with my whole heart, mind, and soul. A sacred space for listening, reflecting, and praying.

Now, for full disclosure, I did this last year. And in 2024. And 2023. In fact, for dozens of years by now. It’s a daily pathway for life. Last year I had Rich as a partner in one reading, and Matt as a partner in another. Relational gifts! And reading continues to be a felt point of contact with the Lord. It may not turn me into a spiritual giant, but I’m assured of God’s pleasure as I read.

Let me guess what some might be thinking now. “This sounds odd, like meeting a lifelong marathon runner who doesn’t know when to quit!” Or, a softer take, “Don’t you know what’s in the Bible by now? Why not add some other books to your list and become more well-rounded?” Or, perhaps, a weary thought. “Look, I’ve tried to do this once-a-year Bible thing a couple of times, and I stalled out in Leviticus both times. Really, it’s not very palatable!”

If that’s you, I get your pushback. Yet you’re missing the wealth that bold Bible reading offers. So please hear me out. The church needs serious Bible readers—what many key figures from the past, both known and unknown, all shared. Reading treats John 8:31 as just as important to us as is John 3:16 and 15:5. To be blunt, reading is a litmus of a living faith. Jesus said as much to followers who weren’t true disciples: “you cannot bear to hear my word” [Jn 8:43]. So a convert’s prayer might be in order. Jesus brings a darkness-to-light transition—so seek the light.

Time in the Bible is crucial for life because it’s our most tangible way to meet with God. He’s the ultimate author of every page of the text, and his self-sharing presence is regularly apparent.

Some may ask, why does God use a book? Why not replay Genesis and Eden—where he came to walk with his people? Actually, that didn’t go well! They ran and hid from him. Or later in Exodus he spoke aloud to his chosen people from the fire and clouds on top of Mount Sinai. But that didn’t go well either. Terrified, they asked God never do it again! And finally the Son of God became a human, as Jesus, and collected about 120 followers over three years. But that was another tragedy. He irritated lots of influential people and got crucified. So, given this history, the Bible provides all we need to know about God. It’s a stable, readily available divine resource.

We can also ask, if God shaped it, why is the Bible such an uneven book? Some of the Psalms are great, and Jesus offers good memory verses, but other parts can be confusing and hard. Why, for instance, all the bloody sacrifices, and warnings against eating fat and blood? When what we need is obvious: an assurance of eternal life? Or a way to transform my spouse? Or some advice on my addiction to sports-betting? The humanity of the writers can also be glaring at times! Even though Jesus assured us that the Scriptures are his key resource for us in this stage of history.

What’s remarkable is that God bridges dozens of cultures, different languages, world views, social values, and about 1500 years of time and dozens of writers in the Bible. It speaks to every given age. And truth has a different weight than secondary ideas. Augustine, for one, used certain Bible verses in the year 400, that still hit needs for today. His struggle with sexuality in the Confessions is very strong. And Luther’s German writings in 1520 are as crisp today as they were then. We learn that Truth, with an upper-case T, conquers what C.S. Lewis called our “chronological snobbery.” A sense that we’re smarter now than Jesus was, given our advances.

On the familiarity issue, “I already know that…” Let’s not miss how modern media today shapes what we “know.” Media carves channels in our hearts by its many repetitions. Videos offer dozens or hundreds of exposures in building lower-case “lies.” As in “bits of evil can’t hurt.” And we have a thousand exposures to upper-case L “Lies,” as in “deep greed and abusive power won’t corrupt our country.” We’ve all been saturated. So regular Bible reading offers a necessary spiritual counterpoint. As Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” [Jn 8:31-32]. When Jesus spoke of “my word” it was in the context of John’s gospel that begins with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The big picture is that God means to share himself with us through Jesus. And he includes the whole Bible. After the resurrection—in Luke 24—Jesus told two of his followers that the Old Testament is all about him. So it’s all crucial if we want God’s heart.

But here’s the biggest lesson that comes from Bible reading. God has a distinct personality. As in our reading a text from a beloved friend: the words on the phone come alive to us! That’s certainly not our response to an information item or other bits of impersonal news. Again, rich Bible reading calls for actually “knowing” Jesus as our beloved savior—as part of a new life. For people with a transactional view of God—as in, “I need what he offers”—the Bible is flat. Dull and uninviting. So a low view of the Bible follows. As such a low view becomes a widespread disposition, church turns into a mere social club. It’s not life changing. The test of where one stands in this polarity is in how the ”fruit of the Spirit” is apparent. Love, joy, peace, patience and more are distinct features of authentic faith.

Finally, the more we spend time in the Bible, the more we have a taste for it. The reality of God’s triune brilliance, creativity, and remarkable passion will capture hungry hearts. The Holy Spirit makes it work. So be sure to ask, “Lord, I need your embrace as I come to the Bible. Please help!” As you start you’ll often have about ten minutes of what I call “noise”—loose thoughts and calendar items—that intrude. After that take-off the words start to have real force.

So here’s the New Year reading invitation from God, in Psalm 34:8—“O taste and see, the LORD is good!” Maybe find a reading partner—someone to share verses with once a week—so reading also gets to be a spreading goodness. Enjoy!