Reading Bible Chronologically within 4 Months.

Reading Bible cover to cover each year is a commendable commitment. I have known many Christians who have done it, also many Christians who gave up their commitment midway. Whenever I meet Christian friends after a long time, I love to ask their Bible reading schedule/plan. Unfortunately, many have the habit of giving up after reading the Bible cover to cover once. If you ae one of them, may I suggest you to have an interesting Bible reading plan? For me to continue each year, I read different Bible version each year. Also I do not put myself under obligation to read sequentially from Genesis to Revelation.

This year, I decide to read Bible chronologically. Chronological in the sense of events recorded in Bible. It is not the chronological order of the first book to last book written (by the way, that is also a good way, and I have done it last year). I took help from Blue Letter Bible Reading Plan and modified it for my convenience. There are some instances I disagree with this Chronology, such as Psalm 63 after 1 Samuel 25-27. I believe with Spurgeon it should be after 2Samuel 16-17.

I have modified in this way to read in 4 months. This schedule helps me to understand the context clearly and retains my memory of the last read passages.

 

OLD TESTAMENT I (6 WEEKS) 1st Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up) 1.     Genesis 1-11 2.     Job 1-21 3.     Job 22-42 4.     Genesis 12-30 5.     Genesis 31-50   2nd Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up) 6.     Exodus 1-20 7.     Exodus 21-40 8.     Leviticus 1-16 9.     Leviticus 17-27 10. Numbers 1-15; Psalm 90   3rd Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Pentateuch is done by third week. The 13th day is little big but necessary.) 11. Numbers 16-36 12. Deut. 1-18 13. Deut. 19-34; Psalm 91 14. Joshua 1-12 15. Joshua 13-24   4th Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Now the fun comes in reading chronologically – turning pages back and front. 17th and 18th take more time but necessary.) 16. Judges 1-21   17. Ruth; 1Sam. 1-20; Ps. 11, 59;   18. 1Sam. 21-24; Ps. 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140-142; 1Sam. 25-27   19. Ps. 17, 35, 54, 63; 1Samuel 28-31; Ps. 18, 121, 123-125, 128-130; 2Sam. 1-4;   20. Ps. 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21; 1Chr. 1-2; Ps. 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87; 1Chr. 3-5; Ps. 73, 77-78; 1Chr. 6   5th Week (3 days reading. 4 days are to catch up – plenty. Not to give up in midway because of lagging behind. One month read faithfully. It’s a second month with an easy start) 21. Ps. 81, 88, 92-93; 1Chr. 7-10; Ps. 102-104; 2Sam. 5; 1Chr. 11-12; Ps. 133, 106-107   22. 1Chr. 13-16; Ps. 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 68; Ps. 89, 96, 100-101, 105, 132; 2Sam. 6-7; 1Chr. 17; Ps. 25, 29, 33, 36, 39   23. 2Sam. 8-9; 1Chr. 18; Ps. 50, 53, 60, 75; 2Sam. 10; 1Chr. 19; Ps. 20; Ps. 65-67, 69-70; 2Sam. 11-12; 1Chr. 20; Ps. 32, 51, 86, 122   6th Week (3 days reading. 4 days are to catch up – plenty. Not to give up in midway because of lagging behind) 24. 2Sam. 13-15; Ps. 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55; 2Sam. 16-18; Ps. 26, 40, 58, 61-62, 64; 2Sam.19-21; Ps. 5, 38, 41-42   25. 2Sam. 22-23; Ps. 57, 95, 97-99; 2Sam. 24; 1Chr. 21-22; Ps. 30; Ps. 108-110; 1Chr. 23-25; Ps. 131, 138-139, 143-145   26. 1Chr. 26-29; Psalm 127, 111-118     OLD TESTAMENT II (6 WEEKS) 1st Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. End of OT I. Cheer up! you are half way through!) 1.     1Kings 1-2; Ps. 37, 71, 94, 119; 1Kings 3-4   2.     2Chr. 1; Psalm 72; Song of Solomon   3.     Proverbs 1-24   4.     1Kings 5-6; 2Chr. 2-3; 1Kings 7; 2Chr. 4; 1Kings 8; 2Chr. 5-7; Ps. 136, 134, 146-150   5.     1Kings 9; 2Chr. 8; Pro. 25-29   2nd Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Walk with the Kings.) 6.     Ecclesiastes 1-12 7.     1Kings 10-11; 2Chr. 9; Pro. 30-31; 1Kings 12-14; 2Chr. 10-12; 1Kings 15; 2Chr. 13-16   8.     1Kings 16; 2 Chr. 17; 1Kings 17-22; 2 Chronicles 18-23   9.     Obadiah; Ps.82-83; 2Kings 1-11   10. 2Kings 12-13; 2Chr. 24; 2 Kings 14; 2Chr. 25; Jonah; 2Kings 15; 2Chr. 26   3rd Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Walk with the Prophets.) 11. Isaiah 1-8; Amos 1-9   12. 2Chr. 27; Isaiah 9-12; Micah; 2Chr. 28; 2Kings 16-17   13. Isaiah 13-27; 2Kings 18; 2Chr. 29-31; Ps. 48   14. Hosea 1-14   15. Isaiah 28-39; Ps. 76; Isaiah 40-48   4th Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. 20th day especially Jeremiah section is big) 16. 2Kings 19; Ps. 46, 80, 135; Isaiah 49-66   17. 2Kings 20-21; 2Chr. 32-33; Nahum; 2Kings 22-23; 2Chr. 34-35; Zephaniah   18. Jeremiah 1-20   19. Jeremiah 21-40; Psalms 74, 79   20. 2Kings 24-25; 2Chr. 36; Habakkuk; Jeremiah 41-52; Lament 1-5   5th Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up) 21. Ezekiel 1-16 22. Ezekiel 17-35 23. Ezekiel 36-48;  Joel 24. Daniel 1-12 25. Ezra 1-6; Ps. 137; Haggai   6th Week (3 days reading. Take time of reflection – God’s word the rest of the week. Celebrate! OT is done in 3 months.) 26. Zechariah 1-14 27. Esther 1-10; Ezra 7-10 28. Neh. 1-13; Ps.126; Malachi     NEW TESTAMENT (4 WEEKS) 1st Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Yes, excited. 4 Gospels in a week.) 1.     Luke 1; John 1 Matthew 1; Luke 2 Matthew 2-3; Mark 1; Luke 3 Matthew 4; Luke 4-5 John 2-4; Matthew 8; Mark 2 John 5; Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 6; Matthew 5-7   2.     Matthew 9; Luke 7 Matthew 11; Luke 11 Matthew 13; Luke 8 Mark 4-5, 10, 14; Mark 6; Luke 9 John 6; Matt. 15; Mark 7 Matt. 16; Mark 8: Matt. 17; Mark 9   3.     Matthew 18; John 7-10; Luke 10 Luke 12-17; John 11; Luke 18; Matt. 19; Mark 10; Matt.20-21; Luke 19   4.     Mark 11; John 12; Matt. 22; Mark 12; Matthew 23; Luke 20-21; Mark 13; Matthew 24-26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-17   5.     Matthew 27; Mark 15 Luke 23; John 18-19 Matthew 28; Mark 16 Luke 24; John 20-21   2nd Week (5 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. Acts looks more interesting with epistles.) 6.     Acts 1-14; James 7.     Acts 15-16; Gal. 1-6; Acts 17 8.     1 & 2 Thess; Acts 18-19 9.     1 Corinthians 1-16 10. 2 Corinthians 1-13   3rd Week (3 days reading. More books this week but relatively small. You can read ahead of the 4th week too.) 11. Romans 1-16 12. Acts 20-28; Colossians, Philemon 13. Ephesians; Philippians; 1Timothy; Titus   4th Week (4 days reading. 2 days are to catch up. NT done. Holy Bible done!) 14. 1Peter; Hebrews 1-13 15. 2Timothy; 2Peter, Jude; 1, 2, 3 John 16. Revelation 1-11 17. Revelation 12-22      This is how you can do it within 4 months or 16 weeks or 71 days. Each day will require one to one and half hour to read the assigned passages. Actually. I got excited and finished it in 28 days (within a month).

 

 

Forgiveness

 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” – Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

Summarize in a Word: Forgiveness

Key Principle: Forgiveness is an issue of God-likeness, not an issue of Circumstances.

Key Application: We must forgive unconditionally.

Main point of the Passage: No matter what evil and good things happen to us, all things strengthen us to be more Godlike when we recognize God’s plan transcends Man’s Plan.

Illustration: Joseph’s Attitude

Exhortation: Put not your eyes on your brother’s sins, but on the goodness of God.

Forgiveness is what we desire from others, but not an easy virtue to exercise upon others. It looks more difficult when wrong is done intentionally by people who are close to us. Sometimes, we wait for their repentance or apologies to forgive them. Can we just forgive without any condition? How can we do it? The story of Joseph and his brothers portrays a good example for us to imitate forgiveness.