The Bible Recap

There are a lot of things to love about this reading plan, including the fact that there is a corresponding podcast that does an overview of the reading, dives a little deeper, and has a section called the “God Shot” which points out a characteristic of God we learn from the daily reading. One of the things I’m loving the most about The Bible Recap is that it is a chronological reading plan- meaning you read the Bible in the order the events happened. It’s fascinating to see how the events play out and to get a more clear idea of why things happened the way they did. The plan’s focus is to help you see the character of God and fall more in love with Him and His Word.

Benefits of reading the whole Bible

Reading the entire Bible has many benefits. It can help us gain a better understanding of God’s plan and give us insight into the context of some of our most referenced Scriptures. You will learn to hear from God firsthand, instead of relying solely on your pastor or devotional books that only tell you what someone else sees in the Word. Knowing what the Bible says (and doesn’t say) will help you clarify what you believe and why. The way Tara-Leigh describes her experience is so beautiful and moving.

“The next year, I decided, ‘ok! I’m going to read it again, and I’m going to look for who God is…’ because that was the primary thing that was bothering me. So I asked God to give me a lens for that. I said, ‘God, this is the book You’ve given us to reveal Yourself to us, so help me to see who You are in what I read today.’ On that second trip through the Word when I was looking for Him, I found Him and I fell in love with Him. I began to see not just what He was doing, but why He was doing it…what His heart was behind it. He answered that prayer to teach me about Himself in a way that made me feel like I was learning a whole different God than I learned about in church.”

~Tara-Leigh Cobble

No matter whether you decide to follow a specific plan or not, I hope you’re encouraged to read through the entire Word this year. Focus on who you see God to be in those pages and verses and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. I pray your relationship with Him grows closer than ever before and you find yourself more in love with Him through this journey. 

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“We wholeheartedly believe a daily rhythm of seeking intimacy with God has the power to transform lives. That’s why YouVersion creates biblically centered, culturally relevant experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. It’s through these experiences we create opportunities fit for anyone’s daily routine, ultimately helping them form a spiritually-rich rhythm of seeking God intimately.”

There are so many options for studies. You can find plans by your favorite teachers or search through the recommended and featured plans. You can find options that are shorter or longer, deeper or more devotional type, subject-based or Scripture only. There is a “Search By Emotion” feature that helps you find what you need in God’s Word when you don’t know where to turn. There are even video-based studies if that’s more up your alley. 

There are many features on the app to enhance your Bible reading and studying experience. One of my favorites is the Verse of the Day. Many times I find that single verse encourages me to study deeper or nudges me to spend time in the Word. You can sign up to have the verse sent straight to your phone, and you can create an image post for social media to share what you’re learning with your online friends. In fact, you can invite friends to go through studies with you, and there’s even a function where you can discuss what you’re reading right there on the app. This is a great feature, especially right now when so many in-person Bible studies are cancelled or postponed. 

As you’re reading through Scripture, YouVersion has many tools to help you. You can highlight, add a prayer, bookmark, or note to specific verses, see related videos, switch the version (or compare versions) with a click of a button, change the text size, hear the text in audio form, share the verse to social media in text or image form, or copy a section to add into a note or text message. Another especially useful tool is the Reminder option, which allows you to set a time to be reminded to read your Bible.

5 Reading Plans To Try

1. Walking With Others Through Life’s Valleys by Jim Daly
   A 7-Day plan exploring how to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people around you. 

2. New Year, New Mercies by Paul Tripp
   A 15-Day Devotional about God’s grace to us, and learning to trust and rely on Him when feel-good aphorisms aren’t enough. 

3. Truth For Dark Days by Alistair Begg
   A 7-Day plan that reminds us of the hope we have in God’s goodness and sovereignty. 

4. Why Suffering? By Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale
   For a more in-depth study, this 24-Day plan based on the book by the same name is a great option that dives into the questions “why is there suffering?” and “how do we face pain?”

5. The Power of a Simple Prayer by Max Lucado
   A powerful 5-Day plan to help us pray effectively and consistently. 

We’re so blessed to have this kind of access to God’s Word, anytime and anyplace. It’s imperative we don’t take it for granted or forget that there are people in the world who can’t get the Word, or aren’t allowed to have it. 

If you use any of these reading plans or have others you’d like to share, let us know below! May your new year be blessed and Bible-centered! 

The post 5 YouVersion Reading Plans To Try In The New Year appeared first on 93.7 The Light.