How You Can Start Reading the Bible Regularly (even as a beginner!)

By Chuck Fenwick

If you’ve ever wanted to create the habit of reading the Bible every day but you don’t know where to start, you’re not alone! 

The Bible is a huge book with lots of intimidating names and places and things we don’t understand in 2024. 

But it is possible! And you can do this. 

Here are five tips for reading the Bible every day — as a beginner or a regular reader!

Pick a Time

Choosing a time to read the Bible is almost as important as reading the content. Ensuring that you have a consistent time each day to read is what will help you add this habit to your routine. 

You’ve heard it before, but consistency is key. Stop and evaluate your day-to-day routine. Is there a small pocket of time each day that you scroll through social media? Or watch TV? Try adding in 5 minutes of reading the Bible there. 

Here are a few examples: 

• Read while your morning coffee is brewing

• Wake up a few minutes earlier (like five minutes earlier) to get some reading in

• Listen to the Bible audiobook during your morning commute

• Scroll through your reading on the Bible app during lunch

• Read during the post-dinner, pre-bedtime portion of the evening

You don’t have to carve out a large chunk of time to read the Bible daily. Start with just a few minutes. It is doable! And if you have trouble remembering, try setting a reminder on your phone or adding it to your calendar.

Make it Easy

Once you’ve committed to a time of day to read, you’ve completed the hardest part! Now, let’s make everything else simple. 

It’s easy to stress over which version of the Bible to read. And there are a lot of options, so it seems daunting at first. But the best version to read is the one that’s best for you.

If you’re looking for something that’s easy to understand, I recommend The Message version and the Common English Version. It has all of the same information in it, the text is just easier to understand in my opinion. 

But if you prefer reading the ESV (English Standard Version), NIV (New International Version), or whatever you have, do it! 

You don’t even have to read a physical version of the Bible. The YouVersion app is an excellent resource! The app is free, has many versions to choose from, and is available in different languages. 

Also, if you’re a podcast/audiobook listener, give the audiobook version of the Bible a try. There are several different ways you can listen to the Bible or use a podcast to help you break it down and incorporate it into your life.

Start Small

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when introducing a new habit into your life is trying too much at once. So when you first start reading the Bible regularly, start small! 

I highly recommend starting in the gospel of Mark. The “gospels” are the first four books of the second half of the Bible (the New Testament). These books are all about the life and death of Jesus.

Mark is a great place to start because the author is concise and gets straight to the point (unlike me, haha). Reading Mark will help you get a full understanding of Jesus’ life. 

Next, try reading the book of Acts. That is the fifth book of the New Testament. This is all about what the church was like when it first started. 

After that, try following a Bible reading plan! Stick with the New Testament for a while, then move on to deeper studies. Resources like YouVersion have some Bible reading plans for free.

Backstory is Essential

The Bible wasn’t written for you. That’s okay! Just because you aren’t the intended audience doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable to you today. Read more about that in this blog here.
The Bible isn’t a novel. It’s also not a self-help book or personal growth book. It’s a collection of letters and stories compiled over time. However, there are guidelines for how followers of God should live their life. 

We do not have to take everything in the Bible literally. And not everything is an instruction manual on how we should live today. 

But, it’s still helpful and important! Jesus teaches us how to pray and imitate Him to help others find their way to God. There is so much we can learn from reading through the Bible!

Understand the backstory and the perspective that each of the books are coming from.

Anticipate Failure

Failure is a bit of a strong word, but it’s expected. When you’re incorporating a new system into your life you will mess up. It’s okay! And you are not a failure because you missed a few days of a new habit.

 You’ll likely miss a day or two. You will probably forget on the weekends sometimes. It happens. Make it a goal not to miss two days in a row! 

When you fall off track, pick yourself back up and keep on going. You’ve got this!

Need some help?

If you’re struggling to understand something in scripture, or have other Bible related questions, I am happy to help. Send me a text!

Reading the Bible is tricky and I want us to be able to do this together.