A Daily Reading Plan sits In the first few pages of the Personal Study Guide and Daily Discipleship Guide. Every verse of the Bible book or books being studied that quarter are included in the reading plan. Not every verse can be studied in a quarter, so the reading plan provides a way for every verse to at least be read during the quarter. The plan roughly follows the context passage division for that week’s study, giving readers a way to set into context the core passage being examined that week.
The plan is also available as an eBook that can be read in the Lifeway eReader. The item is free but must be “purchased” through Lifeway.com or the Lifeway eReader (search for “Explore the Bible Reading Plan” in the store). Secure the reading plan for Winter 2022 (Ezekiel, Daniel). The eBook Reading Plan simply lists the daily readings on your phone or tablet if you have data access. Each day is linked so that the Bible text for that day pops up when clicking on the actual passage listing. If you already use the eBook versions of the Personal Study Guide or Daily Discipleship Guide, you have the Reading Plan.
Here are three ways of using the Daily Reading Plan with our group, family, and church
With our group
This may seem obvious, but groups may want to take on the responsibility of holding each other accountable for completing the daily readings over the course of the week. This would be in addition to holding each other accountable for studying prior to the class or using the Daily Explorations after the class or group time. A member of the group could be designated to send out a daily text to the group with the passage to be read and encourage others to respond when they have read the passage or share a question or insight gained. If we teach a class or group, we may want to give volunteers an opportunity to share things they discovered while reading the daily passages, especially as a part of the introduction when we set the context for the core passage being examined.
With our family
We may be content to find just one day a week for engaging as a family in some type of spiritual discipline together. But we know one day is not enough. We can encourage our family to read the daily passages even if we don’t gather each day to read together. Doing so would be one way of putting the family on the same page and having a shared experience that can feed conversations along the way.
Imagine a father being upset with his teenage son for not knowing the order to the Bible books. Imagine that same father being asked to repeat the Bible books in order and not being able to do so. He really does not have a right to be upset with his son over something he is not willing to attempt to do himself. We parents cannot expect the rest of the family to do what we are not willing to do. If we want the rest of our family to read the Bible daily, then they need to see us reading it. Using the daily reading plan and checking off the boxes on the page is one way we can set the standard for our family.
With our church
Some churches encourage everyone in the congregation to use the reading plan as a means for fostering church unity. The pastor may mention an idea he gleaned from the previous week’s reading. A portion of a passage may be read in the worship service or serve as a backdrop for one of the songs selected. These actions are part of setting a culture that encourages people to engage with the Bible as individuals, with a group (the reading plan supports what is happening in Sunday School or ongoing Bible study groups), and as a local church body.
What would happen if everyone in our groups, our families, and our churches were reading the same Bible passage every day and were doing it in such a way so that it supported what we are studying in our groups?