The Bible is God’s Word, his testimony, revealing to us who he is, what he cares about, and his story of redemption for humanity. Reading through the Bible in a year may feel intimidating, but there’s no better way to grow in your faith and understanding of God than reading through the entirety of Scripture for yourself. You don’t have to be a Bible expert or seminary student to start – there are hundreds of resources available to guide you with apps to track your progress, show you the daily reading, and some with extra resources and videos to provide additional teaching.

In just 15 minutes a day – probably shorter than your morning commute, your daily scroll through social media, or your evening walk – you can be on your way to reading through the Bible in a year.

Here are five different ways to read through the Bible in a year, all available on the YouVersion Bible App:

If you’re a purist, this plan goes straight through your Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Daily readings are broken down so you’ll finish by the end of the year*.

*Fun fact: Did you know the Old Testament is ¾ of your Bible?! Reading straight through, you won’t reach the New Testament until Day 275 – that’s October!

Daily readings are compiled chronologically in the order that events actually took place based on recent historical research. Because you’re reading in chronological order, you’ll gain additional insight by reading parallel passages that may be in different books but were written at the same time. For example, you’ll read psalms David wrote alongside passages from 1 Chronicles that give historical context. And in the New Testament, you’ll read accounts from the four gospels all together, adding richness to your understanding of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

This plan offers daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. If the idea of slogging through Leviticus for ten days straight is intimidating, this may be the plan for you! Reading from each testament and the wisdom books gives you a bit of variety each day.

Read through the Bible chronologically with Tara Leigh Cobble as your guide. Extra content includes 5 prayers to pray before you read each day, Bible Project videos for added context, and corresponding podcast episodes for each day, available on your favorite podcast platform. Podcast episodes provide additional teaching from Tara Leigh on the day’s passage – in under 10 minutes.

This one-year reading plan goes from Genesis to Revelation, plus one Psalm each day. There are over 150 additional teaching videos with this plan, including topics such as overview videos for each book of the Bible, Hebrew words, key themes, how to read the Bible, and the attributes of God. This plan puts an emphasis on seeing Jesus through all of Scripture, pulling the whole Bible together into one story.

Pick the plan that sounds best for you and get started today! (No need to wait until January 1). There will be days of discovery, as you learn things you’d never realized, and moments of confusion, but one thing is sure: God will meet you as you seek him. After all, the Bible is his Word and one of the main ways he reveals himself to us. As Jeremiah 29:13 promises,

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Reading through the entire Bible was a significant turning point in my faith and my understanding of God, and we can’t wait to hear how it changes you.