Yes, I really did read the Bible in just 60 days. I know it seems like an impossible task, but it is worth noting that I didn’t pick up the Bible as I might pick up a novel that I’d
never heard of then just decide to read it as fast as I could. Getting to the point of reading the Bible in 60 days was a years-long progression. I started, many years ago, reading the Bible through in three years. I then progressed to reading it through once a year, which I have done, with the exception of a brief hiatus, every year since. Then, this year, something changed.
Our pastor decided to have the congregation read through the Bible in one year as a group. So, on January 1, 2017, I started the read through along with the rest of the congregation. Everything proceeded for me much as it has for all of the years that I have done this read through until early June. Suddenly, at that time, I began to feel a sense of urgency. Something, Someone (God), was telling me to finish this read through by the time I returned home from my daughter, Stormie’s wedding. That meant that I would have to finish reading roughly half of the Bible by July 16! I asked God, “Are you sure?” He said, “Yes! Read it!” So I did. I was actually reading the final chapters on my drive home from the wedding!
So, I thought that was that. I had read the Bible in 6 months and 2 weeks. I was prepared to move on with my life and my ordinary daily Bible time. But God had a different plan.
During the next couple of weeks, I had the strong push to take this Bible “speed reading” a step further. I began to sense that God wanted me to read through the Bible in 60 days! I was stunned. I was, to say the least, hesitant. I thought, I can’t possible do that…can I?
Then I remembered the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and I said, “Okay, God, I’ll give it a shot.”
So, I started to explore 60-Day Bible reading plans. I finally decided to create my own 60-day Bible reading plan, since I prefer to read full chapters rather than having my readings stop or start in the middle of a chapter. Then, on August 1, 2017, I got started reading in earnest and here are four of the things that I learned:
1. Reading the Bible in 60 days is possible! To accomplish this task meant reading one book of the Bible every day. That is about 20-25 chapters. Now, There are a few books that are longer than that. I read books in 2-3 days, depending on the length of the book keeping to the 20-25 chapter goal. When my plan was finished, it was actually a 55 day plan. That suited me because it gave me some grace. If I should miss a day, or get behind (which did happen twice, once in Ezekiel and again in Acts), I would have five days to get myself back on track so I could still finish on time. This plan worked really well for me.
2. Reading the Bible in 60 days isn’t an in-depth Bible study – and it isn’t intended to be. Reading the Bible cover-to-cover is a way to get an awesome overview of the Bible. It discovered that this Bible “speed reading” gave me a better understanding of how the books of the Bible all fit together. It was an amazing way to allow God to teach me. Because I temporarily set aside all study resources of human origin such as study guides, commentaries, devotional books, etc. I had to rely on God to teach me what He wanted me to learn. And He did teach me!
While, for the most part, I simply read the Bible, turning page after page, there were times when I felt as if someone had slammed on the brakes of my reading progress. At those moments, a particular verse or paragraph would come into sharp focus, almost as if I were viewing it through a magnifying glass while the rest of the page went out of focus. I would stop my reading and focus on those words. As I did that, God revealed things to me that I hadn’t noticed before. They weren’t “new” things. They had always been there and I’m sure other people would say, “I knew that!” but those moments were enlightening for me. God taught me about Himself. He taught me about His plan. He taught me about His love story. He taught me about myself…and so much more! It was amazing, awe-inspiring, and just plain fun to be being taught by the Master Teacher, Himself! There is no experience like it!
3. Reading the Bible in 60 days takes planning and commitment.
When I first felt the urge to read the Bible in 60 days, I had to decide if I was thinking about doing this in order to have bragging rights. I actually was never going to tell anyone that I did this because I didn’t want to be perceived as showing off! However, God has nudged me into sharing this process so I am sharing it.
Once I determined that my motives were pure, that I was doing this read through out of obedience to God and not as a “look at me” thing, I chose the Bible translation that I wanted to use. I opted for the New International Version. It is easy to read and is a solid, dependable translation.
Next, I selected, or should I say, created my Bible reading plan. (Again, here is a link to my plan. I have also placed links to a couple of other plans at the end of this article.) I didn’t look at the reading plan as a “must-do” list. Instead, I used it as a reminder of that day’s reading. I put it on my smartphone so I could check off each reading as I finished it. To do that, I actually used an Android app similar to Microsoft Word. (While I love MSWord on my computer, I am less fond of the mobile version.)
Here is the key to successfully reading the Bible in 60 days: Read every chance you get! I didn’t sit and read a day’s reading in one sitting. I sprinkled my time with God throughout the day. I looked for small opportunities to read. A few minutes here and a few minutes there were crucial. Those “few minutes” spots are hidden all throughout the day. There are far more of them than you realize, and they add up! For example, I read while
* riding (not driving! Okay, maybe an audiobook would work if you do your own driving.) in the car.
* walking laps in my living room.
* while in the bathroom. (Shh! Lol.)
* during commercials.
* while waiting for food to cook.
* any every other spare moment I found.
I went into this challenge recognizing that I had to be willing to potentially make sacrifices and set aside other activities for a while. I was consciously choosing to make God my first priority…period.
However, as I had been taught, when we put God first, amazing things happen. I discovered that I not only had time to do all of that Bible reading, but nothing else in my life suffered. Everything that I normally do, I was still able to accomplish! The house was kept up. I went to work in our church office as usual. I was able to keep up on my writing and artwork for my Bible Journal Blog. I had time to work on scrapbook pages and even take an online digital scrapbooking course. I exercised as usual. On top of that I was able to begin work on organizing our family photos and start doing some genealogical research! God is sooo amazingly good! When we give to Him, even of our time, He gives us back much, much more!
Now, if you are thinking, “Wow! Maybe I could do this to spice up my spiritual life! I want to tell you to pray over it. Choosing to do this isn’t something that I entered into lightly. It does take time and planning. Here are my 5 suggestions for you:
1. Pray about it. Check your motives and be sure that this is God’s plan for you.
2. If you believe God is leading you to take on this challenge, be obedient and do it!
3. Stick with it. Once you get started, don’t quit! Even when you feel like you are getting bogged down or behind or when you don’t understand what you are reading, keep reading anyway.
4. Trust God. He will be with you through the whole process. He will guide you. He will strengthen you. He will teach you. You will never have a better teacher!
5. Check off chapters as you read them. This simple but visible progress is very encouraging and will help you keep going when the reading feels hard.
Would I do this again?
Yes! I plan to read the Bible in 60 days again, possibly at the beginning of the new year. I may even make this an annual event. I’ll see how God leads me.
I encourage you to prayerfully consider taking on this challenge. You will never have a more rewarding and fulfilling time with God! Happy reading!
One last thing…I want to repeat that I didn’t post this to brag or to have a “look at me” moment. This post is, as my pastor is so fond of saying, “All about Jesus.” To God be the glory! Praise His holy name!
Links to other 60-Day Bible Reading Plans:
Grace Church Bangalore - http://mohittarachand.blogspot.com/2009/08/reading-bible-in-60-days-bible-reading.html
Lynn Rayburn - http://lynnraburn.com/BibleIn60Days.pdf