You've been meaning to do this for a while. Maybe years. You own a Bible, or you have an app on your phone, and you know it matters. But every time you think about actually starting, the same question stops you: where?
Sixty-six books. Thousands of pages. Some of it reads like poetry, some of it reads like ancient law, and some of it seems to contradict what came before it. It's a lot. And if nobody ever taught you how to approach it, the overwhelm makes sense.
So let's make this simple.
You Don't Have to Start at the Beginning
One of the most common mistakes people make is opening to Genesis 1:1, reading with enthusiasm for a few days, and then stalling somewhere around Leviticus. That's because the Bible is a collection of books written across centuries, and some of those books are far more accessible to a new reader than others.
If you're just starting out, begin with the Gospel of John. John tells the story of Jesus in a way that is personal, theological, and direct. It answers the most important question the Bible raises: who is God, and what has He done? Everything else in Scripture makes more sense once you've spent time with Jesus in the Gospels.
After John, move into Acts, which tells you what happened after Jesus ascended and the church was born. Then you might try Proverbs, which is practical wisdom for everyday life, or the Psalms, which will teach you how to pray and worship in ways you didn't know were possible.
The order matters less than you think. What matters is that you're reading.
Keep It Short
Here is permission you may not have given yourself yet: you can read one chapter a day and that is enough.
We tend to assume that real Bible reading requires an hour of study with commentaries and highlighters and cross-references. And there's a place for that kind of depth. But if the alternative is reading nothing because the bar feels too high, then one chapter is better. Five verses is better. A single Psalm is better.
God is not measuring the volume of your reading. He is present with you in whatever amount of Scripture you open today. Start with what you can sustain. You can always read more later.
Read It Like a Conversation
The Bible is God's Word, and that phrase means something specific. It means He is speaking. When you open Scripture, you are not only performing an academic exercise or checking a box on a spiritual to-do list. You are sitting with a Person who had something important to say to the original readers, and has something to say to you today.
This changes how you read. Instead of racing through chapters, slow down. When a verse catches your attention, stop there. Ask yourself what it tells you about who God is. Ask what it reveals about your own heart. And then talk to Him about it. That conversation, the one between you and God over an open Bible, is the whole point of reading Scripture. Everything else is secondary.
What to Do When You Don't Understand Something
You will hit passages that confuse you. Genealogies, prophecies, Old Testament laws that seem impossible to apply to modern life. This is normal. Even the apostle Peter admitted that some of Paul's letters were hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16).
When this happens, don't stop reading. Mark the passage, move forward, and trust that understanding will come over time. The Bible is the kind of book that reveals more of itself the longer you spend in it. Things that made no sense six months ago will suddenly click when you encounter them again in a different context. The Holy Spirit is your teacher, and He works at a pace that accounts for where you are right now.
When possible, utilize other tools like commentaries or apps to help you understand the context, original audience, and more. But in the meantime, don't let confusion stop you.
A Place to Start Today
I created a free Bible Reading Plan for Beginners that covers April through December of this year. It walks you through the most foundational books of Scripture, starting with the Gospel of John and moving through Acts, Proverbs, Genesis, the Psalms, and more. Each day has a short reading paired with a theme so you know what to expect before you open your Bible.
If you've been waiting for the right time to start, this is it. You don't need to catch up on anything. You don't need to prepare. Just download the plan, open to today's reading, and begin.
