Ryanne Molinari

Here’s a confession: I am terrible at following Bible reading plans. I am always digging into scripture, but I rarely stick to prescribed reading plans. I’ve tried over and over and always end up feeling guilty, even though obeying a “Bible in a year” plan is not mandatory.

It’s good. It’s not required.

In December, I pinpointed a few reasons as to why I struggle to read my Bible according to a regular plan, even though I am a naturally voracious reader. In a well-meaning effort to keep scripture “set apart,” I have set myself up for failure. I suspect I am not alone in this.

You see, my Bible is nothing like my other books. Its print is tiny. It has two columns. It abounds in footnotes that, while useful, distract me from treating the passage at hand as a unified whole. If I want to read chronologically, my bookmark jumps around, and I cannot see my progress as clearly as with other books.

While I can blaze through an eight-hundred-page novel, I slog through eight verses. Again, this can be good. We should take our time in the Word, considering every line and enjoying the rich insights of our study Bibles. My problem, though, is not with the slow and intentional reading; I struggle to just keep moving forward. I get so caught up in “iotas and dots” that I fail to take in the artistic sweep of full Psalms, the cohesive narratives of the Patriarchs, and the full arguments of epistles.

Finally, I ordered this chronological Bible, and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my devotional life for one simple reason: it looks and reads like a “normal” book.

Because of the following features, I now pick up this Bible and read it with ease:

• One column.
• A clear linear progression.
• Longer but still attainable “chapters” for each day.
• Historical timelines and brief summaries

While it is true that the Bible is unlike any other book, it is also true that it is a book, and formatting it like other books is a small way to make reading it less daunting. Additionally, unlike a “Bible in a year” plan, there are no assigned dates for each section. If I skip a day to study another passage or do school reading, there’s no guilt—only excitement to jump back in when I can.

If you’re like me, an insatiable reader who struggles with orderly scripture reading, I cannot recommend this chronological Bible enough.