Have you attempted to read the entire Bible but never seem to stick with the year plan? I know I sure have and after a couple of weeks I always seem to be lost, confused, and back to square one. The habit is hard to get into and while you always start with the best intentions, it never seems to actually happen. I finally found a free resource that makes staying on track easy and I’m sure can help you, too!
Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to read the entire Bible in a year. Or maybe it’s mid June and you’ve decided now is the time. Whatever the case, if you’re looking to read the Bible more and understand it, today I am sharing a resource that is super helpful. This is the easiest way to read the entire Bible in one year without feeling overwhelmed or lost. It’s also FREE. Let’s jump in with this chronological Bible reading plan!
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Even if you have tried many other devotional reading options or year reading plans in the past, I would bet this Bible study guide is different. If you’re one of those seasoned bible readers or it’s your first time opening the book, you’ll love this helpful resource for daily readings. It’s the story of scripture and full story of the Bible in an easy to digest way! You’ll get through all of the books of the Bible with this simple daily reading plan.
How Much of the Bible Do You Have to Read to Read it in a Year?
For the average reader, it would take about 15 minutes a day to read the entire Bible in a year! This averages out to 3-5 chapters per day. Not a lot of number of pages when you think about it per day.
In this reading plan, that is very spot on. Each day is about 3-5 chapters and it takes me approximately 15 minutes per day to read. In addition, you’ll be watching a 5-8 minute video so all in all I’d set aside 20-25 minutes each day for this.
In What Order Should I Read the Bible?
Did you know the Bible is not completely in chronological order? What?! Yeah, I sure didn’t. In this Bible reading plan I am going to explain, we are reading in a chronological reading format so that EVERYTHING is in the proper timeline. It makes it so much easier to get the big picture once you understand that!
For example, the book of Job actually happened during the time of the book of Genesis so mid way through the very first book of the Bible we pause, jump into Job, then hop back to finish Genesis afterwards. While chronological plans may not be the traditional daily reading format you’re used to, it is a great way to approach things.
The best part about this daily Bible reading plan though is that you do NOT need to buy one of the specialty one year chronological study Bible options. You can just use whichever Bible you already have for your daily Bible reading.
How Do I Read the Bible in One Year?
So, the big question. How are we going to do this? Well, if you have never heard of The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble then listen up. The best way to read the Bible in one year (in my opinion) is through The Bible Recap program! I’m sharing my honest review but also tips on how I’ve found it most helpful (especially for those more difficult passages).
The Bible Recap is an entire brand with multiple things to explore so you can definitely check out the website but I’m going to tell you MY method of doing this that cost $0 using her free resources. I’ll share my reading progress, too.
What is The Bible Recap?
The Bible Recap is a chronological reading plan of the Bible to help you have a deeper understanding of the scriptures by providing short, 5-8 minute daily videos to correspond with certain scripture passages.
Tara-Leigh will help you understand God’s character in each day’s passage and the events of the Bible in both the actual passage you are reading and how it plays a part in the entire narrative of the Bible. These videos recap and explain what you just read which is super helpful.
Tara-Leigh is the creator of the Bible Recap line of books and host of the popular Bible Recap podcast!
How Does The Bible Recap Work?
Let me explain how to use this program for regular Bible reading!
I would recommend going to the “start” page which I will link here. I skipped Step #1 because I don’t want to actually read digitally, so I won’t be using a Bible app. If you would prefer to read the Bible from your phone versus the actual physical book form, you can look into these options. If you are going to be reading straight from a physical copy then no need to confuse yourself with all the information on how to read online.
Personally, I’d just click straight on Step #2. This step has 6 prep episodes you can either listen to in the Podcast app or watch on Youtube. I like watching, so the first thing to do when getting your plan together on how you are going to read the Bible in a year is to watch the prep videos.
Step #3 is to start! See how easy that was. Really all you need to do is watch the prep videos and dive in. You DON’T need to buy anything, get some fancy schedule, or create some mega outline for yourself. Now I’ll explain how to actually start!
There are 365 episodes of The Bible Recap (one for each day of the year) you will watch or listen to. I like that it is formatted by day and not date. For example, Day 1, Day 1, Day 3, etc. instead of January 1st, January 2nd, etc.
Sometimes you might need to skip a day (or two) and some day’s reading you might feel like doing extra. With plans that had passages assigned to “dates” you get all confused when you miss a day or when you want to keep reading and work ahead of schedule because it throws everything off with the dates. It was hard to find my own pace.
I can much easier keep track of my bible reading if I think of it in numbers rather than dates so this is a perk to this plan. I think of them like “lessons” so I don’t really keep up with what “day” I am supposed to be on. I just know that today will be lesson 20 for instance (day 20) even if it is technically my 15th or 25th day going through this. Now yes, this might mean it takes you longer than a year or it might only take you 9 months. I don’t think finishing exactly on December 31st is the point. The point is just to finish.
So what is the actual plan? The plan is simple – each day you open up the Podcast app or Youtube and search for what day you are on. For example “The Bible Recap Day 15”. The TITLE of the episode will give you a passage. For instance, a title of the Youtube video might be “Day 008 (Job 17-20)”. So, now it’s time to read Job 17-20. Simple enough. Then, press play and listen to the 8 minute audio of Tara-Leigh recapping, explaining, and giving thoughts about what you just read.
My Daily Routine
There are multiple different ways to do this. You can buy the study guide hardcover book and just read the recap each day if you are a visual learner and don’t want to listen to a Podcast or Youtube. The Bible Recap book is still a great choice! You can even get the Bible Recap Journal if you like to take study notes on your own thoughts.
However, I did not do either of these things. I have learned that I learn best through audio so listening to someone explain things is better for me rather than reading it for myself. It’s also just more engaging and interesting. She is a great speaker and I especially like the Youtube videos because you get to actually watch her instead of just having the audio from a Podcast.
Personally, I like to watch Youtube videos on my TV. I will type in the search bar “The Bible Recap Day __” and up pops the video. Before pressing play, I read whatever scripture is listed in the title of the video. It’s so handy it’s listed in the title of the video so you don’t have to keep up with where you are at or have some separate study plan to go off of. If you ever forget what day you are on, you can just check your watch history to see! You can also print out their free chart where you cross off the days as you go and keep track of your progress.
After reading, I hit play and watch the 8ish minute video. So easy! Having that video to explain everything at the end is what truly keeps you interested and what makes for easier reading. Especially for those old testament readings where you might get a bit confused.
Now, it should go without saying but Tara-Leigh herself is NOT God so you shouldn’t just go based off what she is saying or blindly follow her. I think of her more as a guide but ultimately you may see different things in the readings, understand it a different way, or straight up disagree. The important part here is actually reading the Bible for yourself and seeing what YOU learn. She’s just there to help (although I do think everything she says so far at least is pretty accurate and aligns with the word).
For instance, I’ve already found a place that I saw a bit differently. In Genesis, when God told Adam and Eve they would surely die if they ate the forbidden fruit, based off what Tara-Leigh says in one of the first episodes I’m thinking she thought God meant literally he would immediately kill them if they ate the fruit.
She points out that God showed Mercy on them (which he still did in other ways) because he allowed them to live even after they ate the fruit. To me, I think he meant that they would not be able to live forever if they ate the fruit therefore they would surely die. And, once they ate the fruit he did in fact say they would no longer be able to live forever. So, they would surely die.
The Bible Recap Resources
Here is a direct link to the youtube page where you can find EVERYTHING for each day’s recap. The prep videos and all 365 daily videos to watch! Don’t forget to do the daily scripture readings that correspond to each video.
Here is a direct link to the episodes through Apple Podcasts if you prefer to just listen as you drive vs. sitting down to watch a Youtube video. A lot of people listen on their way to work after reading at home. However, it’s best to try and listen without too many distractions. Especially for those Old Testament reading parts!
Here is a direct link to the store where you can look at the different books like The Bible Recap study guide, apparel, and more. These might be great if you do this in a small-group bible study or church study group.
Here is a direct link to all of the books she has available. There are kids books and various other reads available. The journal is nice if you want to write down your daily reflections and “today’s God shot” while going through the different parts of the Bible. Each day will have a daily Bible study page available for you to mark notes.
(There is also bible translation options available for ASL and Spanish!)
Is it Possible to Read the Whole Bible?
Yes! Many people successfully read the entire Bible in one year. It is possible. Especially if you consider using this trusted guide, I think you’ll find it easier than you think. It might be a good idea to have a buddy you do the bible study together with.
If you are still too intimidated to commit to the entire thing, there is a 3 month New Testament readings option available, too. That’s a great way to explore a new testament passage before diving into the whole thing. After you finish the new testament bible reading plan I’m sure you’ll want to continue with the entire book!
Conclusion
If you have been interested in reading the entire Bible in one year (or just in general) The Bible Recap is a great resource to use for a deeper understanding of the scriptures. Even just for reading certain sections of the bible that are confusing it can be useful. It is very helpful and can truly make a difference in understanding what you read. If you’re looking to understand way more than you have before in the Bible, this is a great place to start!
Tara-Leigh is the host of The Bible Recap podcast and does an awesome job helping people read and understand God’s word. As the host of the popular podcast, she has dedicated herself to putting out daily content to help and inspire others. An interesting fact is that he is also the founder of d-group if you are familiar with that!
