The Philippines is the only predominantly Christian country in Asia, but according to the Philippine Bible Society, 6 out of 10 Filipinos either do not read the Bible or do not even own one.  Reasons for this vary from seemingly valid (i.e. the old English is hard to read) to plain ridiculous (i.e. the small font hurts their eyes).   True, it can be overwhelming to try reading all 66 books and 1,189 chapters.  You may ask, why should we even bother when you can get a dose of spiritual enlightenment via all those simple (and thinner) books in the Inspirational/Theology section of the bookstore, plus those untold numbers of pastors’ podcasts you can listen to while you’re working out on your treadmill?

The Bible is a pretty amazing book, as demonstrated by the way it was written:

• over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100)
• over 40 generations
• over 40 authors from many walks of life (kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)
• in different places (wilderness, dungeon, palaces)
• at different times (war, peace)
• in different moods (heights of joy, depths of despair)
• on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)
• in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)

Despite this, the Bible presents a unity of ideas, having been “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).  It is God’s very words passed on to the authors to bring a central message to all of us: the nature of God and his love for us.  It answers all the big questions in life and enables us to check the veracity of its teachings via historical, scientific and prophetic accuracy.

You’ve read your Purpose Driven Life and have thumbed through all of Joel Osteen’s books.  You’ve started to have a fresh outlook in life, with these authors explaining God’s message for specific issues you may have.  At some point, to experience more growth in your spiritual life, you have to take the next step.  You’ve read God’s message filtered through these authors, aren’t you curious to know what he’ll tell you if you go straight to the source—his own Word?

The hardest part in trying to read the Bible is getting into the habit of actually sitting down to open it day after day.  The answer to this is very simple: commitment.

• Commit to reading 4-5 chapters of the Bible a day, and you will finish reading the Bible from cover to cover in one year.

• Commit to setting aside a specific time of the day to read, when you are unhurried and your mind still fresh.  I recommend waking up 15 minutes earlier in the morning, instead of pulling out your Bible at night, when there is a real danger of falling asleep in the middle of your four chapters or skipping it altogether.  You can also try spending a fraction of your lunch hour with your Bible if this is more convenient for you.

• Commit to getting a Bible in an easy to read translation that is still accurate to the original text, such as the New International Version, which is fairly straightforward and uses standard modern English.  Getting a Devotional Study Bible is a good idea because it features an introduction to each book and short articles called “Insights” which helps the reader understand a major point in the Bible and how to apply this to his own life.  If you are more comfortable reading in Filipino, Visayan, Hiligaynon, or any other vernacular language, there is surely an edition for you out there.

Another key to getting into the habit and maintaining the habit of reading your Bible is a feeling of accomplishment.  To help foster this, we have formulated an easy to follow Beginner Bible Reading Plan which would take you from Genesis to Revelation in 12 days.

We suggest that you buy a highlighter in a color you like.  Don’t be afraid to underline passages that speak to you.  Switch to another color when you start your second year of reading the Bible.  It would help you track the kinds of verses that spoke to you at a certain parts of your life.

The Beginner Bible Reading Plan

Day 1 – The Beginning
Genesis 1: The creation of the world.
Genesis 2: Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3: The fall of man.
Genesis 6:11-7:24: God’s first judgment on sin.

Day 2 – Abraham and the birth of Israel as a nation
Genesis 12: God calls Abram.
Genesis 15: God promises to bless Abram.
Genesis 22: Abraham is tested.
Genesis 24: Isaac and Rebekah.

Day 3 – Jacob
Genesis 27: Jacob gets Isaac’s blessing by using deceit.
Genesis 28: God promises to bless Jacob.
Genesis 29: Jacob marries Leah, then Rachel.
Genesis 32: Jacob wrestles with God.
Genesis 33: Jacob and Esau are reunited.

Day 4 – Moses
Exodus 2: Moses is born and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter.
Exodus 3: Moses and the burning bush.
Exodus 4: God convinces Moses to return to Egypt.
Exodus 7: Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh.

Day 5 – God Delivers Israel from Slavery
Exodus 12: The first Passover.
Exodus 14: The parting of the Red Sea.
Exodus 16: God sends manna and quail for food.
Exodus 19: God appears to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments.

Day 6 – Israel in the Desert
Exodus 32: The Israelites and the golden calf.
Numbers 14: The Israelites rebel.
Deuteronomy 2: The Israelites wander in the desert for forty years.
Deuteronomy 4: God commands the Israelites to obey.

Day 7 – David
1 Samuel 16: David is anointed by Samuel.
2 Samuel 7: God promises to bless David.
2 Samuel 11: David and Bathsheba sin.
2 Samuel 12: David repents of his sin.

Day 8 – The Life and Teachings of Jesus 1
Luke 1: Preparing for Jesus’ arrival.
Luke 2: Jesus’ birth.
Mark 1: The work of Jesus.
Luke 15: Parables about God’s love.
Matthew 5: The Sermon on the Mount

Day 9 – The Life and Teachings of Jesus 2
Matthew 6: The Lord’s Prayer
John 3: Jesus on salvation.
John 10: The good shepherd.
John 14: Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples.
John 17: Jesus’ prayer for his disciples.

Day 10 – The Life and Teachings of Jesus 3
Matthew 26: Betrayal and arrest.
Matthew 27: Jesus’ execution on a cross.
John 20: Resurrection.
Luke 24: Jesus’ appearance after resurrection.

Day 11 – Paul, the Birth of the Church and Beyond 1
Acts 2: The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
Acts 9: Saul’s conversion.
Romans 3: Paul’s theology.
Romans 5: Peace with God.Day 12 – Paul, the Birth of the Church and Beyond 2
Romans 7: Struggle with sin.
Romans 8: Christians’ victory in the Spirit.
Galatians 5: Freedom in Christ.
Revelation 22: Jesus’ second coming and a picture of heaven