I’ve got a question (or several) for you. How are you doing with your current Bible reading plan, whether it’s the Quietly Through plan or another? Do you frequently find yourself struggling to keep up with the reading schedule? Are you currently behind?

Guess what. You’re not alone. There definitely are times when I get behind in my reading, too. Like when I have a writing deadline fast approaching. When the kids have been sick and no one is sleeping well. When I find a good book or Bible study that I can’t put down. Or when I simply let other, non-eternal things crowd my mind and schedule.

So what’s a Bible-reading girl to do when she falls behind in her reading plan? Speed read, not really understanding anything on the page? Give up?

There’s got to be a better solution and I’ve got a few tips to help you solve this problem.

#1 Remember why your reading your Bible in the first place. 

We should never be reading our Bibles just for the sake of reading our Bibles. Our motives should simply be to spend time with Jesus. Spending time with Him is how we know Him. It’s how we hear His voice and then follow His call to discipleship. Bible reading shouldn’t be a checklist item. We should see it more like a coffee date with a good friend, a date-night with our hubby, or a good phone call with a parent who lives far away. It’s something to look forward to, not something to get done.

#2 Put the Book down and pick up your phone. 

There are several mobile Bible apps, such as YouVersion, with audio Bibles. If your a slow reader then get caught up by listening to God’s word. You can listen while doing tasks that don’t take much brain power, such as showering, washing dishes, jogging, or driving to work.

#3 Skip it. 

Ok, if you’re a completionist this probably isn’t the tip for you (go back to step 2 and get caught up). But serious, if you’ve missed a few days of reading and you are in a book of the Bible you’re fairly familiar with, there is no reason you can’t just skip the passages you’ve missed. Just pick the plan back up with whatever passages are scheduled for the day. If your memory needs a little jarring, read the subtitles of the passages you are skipping.

#4 Slow down.

If your Bible reading plan is just too fast, slow down. Slow down, but keep reading. If a Read-the-Bible-in-One-Year” is too much to handle, find a two year plan or a three year plan. Or find a plan that isn’t tied to a timeline at all. Instead simple commit to reading your Bible front to back. If you’ve got 5 minutes a day, read for 5 minutes. If you’ve got 10 minutes, then 10 minutes. 30 minutes… you get the picture. Just keep reading, don’t give up.

#5 Get ahead. 

This isn’t really a “get caught back up” tip, it’s more of a prevention tip. When you’ve come to the end of the scheduled passages for the day and you don’t want to put your Bible down…don’t. Keep reading. Do this a few times in a week (or month) and soon you’ll be chapters ahead of the reading plan. So when life happens (or you just can’t peel your head off your pillow in the morning) you won’t be falling behind. It will be like your giving your reading plan time to catch up with you.

So, what about you? Do you have any tips for keeping up with your Bible reading plan? Please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear them. And if you don’t currently have a reading plan, maybe these tips have encouraged you to start one. Try the Quietly Through Two-Year Bible Reading Plan (downloads below) and join the Quietly Through Facebook group for a little extra encouragement.

Two-Year Reading Plan

July Bible Bookmark 

Now onto the link up.

Only by grace,

Kelli

---

---

 

---

I just joined the #quietlythroughthursday #linkup! Click To Tweet

---

You may enjoy these link ups as well: Chasing Community, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement, Monday @ Soul Survival, RaRaLinkUp, #Tea&Word, Warriors in the Word

SaveSave

SaveSave