30 Day Bible Reading Challenge
01 ___ GENESIS 1 – 42
02 ___ GENESIS 43 – EXODUS 29
03 ___ EXODUS 30 – LEVITICUS 25
04 ___ NUMBERS 1 – NUMBERS 31
05 ___ NUMBERS 32 – DEUTERONOMY 32
06 ___ DEUTERONOMY 33 – JUDGES 9
07 ___ JUDGES 10 – 1 SAMUEL 22
08 ___ 1 SAMUEL 23 – 1 KINGS 1
09 ___ 1 KINGS 2 – 2 KINGS 8
10 ___ 2 KINGS 9 – 1 CHRONICLES 20
11 ___ 1 CHRONICLES 21 – 2 CHRONICLES 33
12 ___ 2 CHRONICLES 34 – JOB 5
13 ___ JOB 6 – PSALMS 18
14 ___ PSALMS 19 – PSALMS 78
15 ___ PSALMS 79 – PSALMS 147
16 ___ PSALMS 148 – ECCLESIASTES 12
17 ___ SONG OF SOLOMON 1 – ISAIAH 34
18 ___ ISIAH 35 – JEREMIAH 3
19 ___ JEREMIAH 4 – JEREMIAH 36
20 ___ JEREMIAH 37 – EZEKIEL 12
21 ___ EZEKIEL 13 – EZEKIEL 47
22 ___ EZEKIEL 48 – AMOS 9
23 ___ OBADIAH 1 – MALACHI 4
24 ___ MATHEW 1 – MARK 5
25 ___ MARK 6 – LUKE 15
26 ___ LUKE 16 – ACTS
27 ___ ACTS 3 – ROMANS 8
28 ___ ROMANS 9 – EPHESIANS 6
29 ___ PHILIPPIANS 1 – 1 PETER 2
30 ___ 1 PETER 3 – REVELATION 22
Tips and Tricks for Success
1. We are looking for the broad motif. The point of this style of reading is to see the big picture, which might be different (and possibly better) than typical devotional styles of reading. Look for the big movements, what the author is trying to communicate by jamming all these stories or passages together.
2. Read quickly — and don’t feel guilty about it. We are aiming to see the big picture of Scriptural unity and continuity. If you don’t complete the readings you won’t see the readings. You want to see the scope of Scripture, so make finishing your priority. That will probably involve some level of skimming on some days.
3. Expect this to take 2 hours a day. Break it up with your phone, daily commute etc. Fit reading time in wherever you can. You probably won’t be able to complete this if you think you can carry on with Netflix and doom-scrolling at night; it will have to replace some stuff. Reading throughout the day instead is your best friend for this challenge. Get creative.
4. Try not to make too many notes. Observe big things. Make a plan to come back and study things that jump out at you. Make the priority finishing your daily reading.
5. Don’t reduce God’s working in your life to a devotional moment. There may be days that these long readings feel more like work than any experienced spiritual encounter. The point is to create Scriptural context for you in the future—to hear God’s voice more clearly through your developed understanding of the arc of the Biblical story.
6. If you want to go a little deeper, read a synopsis of some books before you read them. These short summaries can help you see what you should be seeing and pay attention to the authors’ circumstances, theological point, and emphases.
7. If you feel like you’re not going to complete your readings in a day, skim and just finish. Make finishing the priority, not understanding everything you read. This will keep you from abandoning this project. There will be some days that you’ll lose steam. By skimming to finish, you’ll keep up your momentum for the next day’s reading. Momentum (consecutive completion of the days reading) is your precious treasure. Guard it at all costs.
Find this plan on YouVersion:
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/13745-30-day-shred
The tips and tricks above are borrowed from his cheat sheet with minor editing.
