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Kickstart Your Bible Reading For The New Year

Every new year thousands of Christians start a new Bible reading plan with the hope of reading through the entire Bible in a year. A few weeks into January or February and most have already abandoned those plans. I readily admit that I used to be one of those people. Let’s be honest, after getting through the familiar & event packed books of Genesis & Exodus things start to slow down and get boring. This is particularly true once you get to Leviticus and all the talk about being clean or unclean.

This year, I want to encourage you to start a new reading plan and provide some tips that will keep you reading throughout the year.

BIBLE READING TIPS

Here are a few tips that I have found helpful over the years, and I hope they encourage you as we enter the new year:

  • Start Small. If you’ve never read through large portions of Scripture before, don’t try to start with a plan that looks insurmountable. That’s like someone new to the gym thinking they can lift the same weights as a power lifter. It’s not a good idea and can be a setup for failure. Instead of a year long reading plan, start with something that’s 2 weeks or 30 days. Once you finish that, try another 30 day plan, and gradually lengthen your plan.
  • Pick a Time & Place. One of the easiest ways to maintain success in your Bible reading is by making it routine. Try to read at the same time everyday, and preferably in the same place. This will create a routine that you’ll get used to and put you in the right mindset. Also, I suggest doing it at a time of day when you’re most alert. There’s nothing worse than reading the Bible when you’re tired or sleepy.
  • Don’t Give Up. This one is the most important. There will be times when you want to give up, but push through it and keep at it. You’ll hit difficult passages and sometimes you may not understand what you just read, and that’s okay. Just keep at it and ask God to help you understand what you’re reading. Over time God will make it clear to you. When you hit those difficult spots, remember to make use of the tools available to you. And, inevitably, you may fall off the wagon and stop reading all together for a season. Don’t get discouraged, just start again.

STARTING A PLAN

One of the great things about doing a reading plan in the app is that it syncs across all your devices. You can read on your computer one day, and then read it on your phone or tablet the next day when you’re on the go. Here’s how to start a new reading plan in the Olive Tree Bible App.

Open Reading Plans from the Menu

Select a Plan

Choose from one of the many reading plans we’ve made available! We have 5-day, month-long, year-long reading plans, plus many more! Some of our devotionals can be used in the reading plan section as well. There are plenty to choose from!

Start the Plan

Start reading! And if you need help remembering to read — we’ve got your back. Set up reminders by tapping the alarm icon at the top-right of the reading plan.

Check out the reading plans in our app, and also be sure to check out other devotional titles that we have on sale that can enhance your daily Bible reading in the new year.

SEE THE SALE

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13 Comments

  1. Armel

    Hello,
    Thank you for this post. It is not clear in the post, is it possible to use the plans on other operating systems than iOS (Apple)? For I do not find this option on Android and Windows 10.

    Thank you for your answer,

    • LaRosa Johnson Post Author

      Yes, you can use our reading plans on all platforms. On Windows & Android it is under “My Stuff”

  2. Edie Streetman

    Thank you so much for the instructions. I have tried to use the reading plans before but it wasn’t recording what I had read. I didn’t know you had to name it. Thanks again!

  3. Joe

    I start a wrong reading plan and cant find how to quit it. Any idea?

  4. JohnThomas

    Is there a way to change the Bible version for the reading plan? It always seems to default to ESV. I want to use NIV.

        • Andrew F.

          The app should generally re-open to the last translation you had open, but we have found some instances where it defaults to the ESV. In this case, you would need to tap on “Library” to open the Bible translation of your choice. My sincerest apologies for this inconvenience.

          This issue has been reported to our software developers and we hope to resolve the issue in a future update to the app. It is worth noting, the app may be more likely to re-open to your last viewed translation if you fully exit the app when you are done using it, rather than allowing it to run/shut down in the background. I hope that this helps.

          • JohnThomas

            Thanks for the reply. Fully exiting the app each time seems to resolve my issue.

            Thanks again.

          • Andrew F.

            Glad to hear. We do plan on fixing that bug!

  6. Linda L Edwards

    I used a chronological one year plan. It took me more than a year to finish (actually about 3 years), but it was great and very helpful to keep track of where I was. The plan helped me get through the entire Bible for the first time. I used multiple translations (so I probably really read the Bible through 3 times in those 3 years) and used the resource guide and commentaries as I went. Thank you, Olive Tree. You are my favorite app of all time.

  7. Neal Cook

    This year I am using an audio Bible for my daily Bible “reading.” (I actually started using an audio Bible last year after they were released.) On workdays, I listen as I drive to work. I HIGHLY recommend using an audio Bible (from Olive Tree) for your daily Bible plan.