How to Start Reading the Bible: A Simple Plan for Beginners
Not sure where to begin? Here’s a gentle, practical way to start reading the Bible, which book to open first, and how to keep going when life gets busy.
The Heavenly team · · 6 min read
The Bible is 66 books written over many centuries, so it’s no surprise that a lot of people open it on page one, get stuck somewhere in Leviticus and quietly put it back on the shelf. If that’s you, you’re in good company. The good news is that you don’t have to read it front to back to read it well.
Here’s a simple way to start, and keep going.
Start with a Gospel, not Genesis
If you’re new to the Bible, or coming back after a long time away, start with Jesus. The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tell the story of His life, teaching, death and resurrection, and everything else in the Bible points toward or back to them.
Mark is a great first book. It’s the shortest Gospel, at 16 chapters, and it moves quickly. Read one chapter a day and you’ll finish in a little over two weeks. John is another favorite for beginners because it says plainly why it was written:
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31
Read a little, every day
A chapter a day beats an hour once a month. Most chapters take five to ten minutes to read, which is short enough to fit into a lunch break or the few minutes before bed. Pick a time that already exists in your day, like your morning coffee, and attach your reading to it.
If a chapter feels like too much, read half. The goal isn’t to cover ground, it’s to spend time with God.
Ask three questions as you read
You don’t need a commentary to get something out of a passage. Try asking:
- What does this say about God?
- What does this say about people, or about me?
- Is there something here to believe, do or pray about today?
Write one sentence down if it helps. Over a few weeks those sentences add up to a record of what God has been teaching you. And if you’re not sure how to turn what you read into prayer, here are some simple ways to build a daily prayer habit.
Pick a translation you understand
The best translation for reading is the one you’ll actually read. The NIV and NLT are easy to follow, the ESV and NASB stay closer to the original wording, and the KJV has the language many people know by heart. If you’re part of a church, it can help to use the same one they read on Sunday.
A simple 30-day starter plan
| Days | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1–16 | Mark 1–16 | Meet Jesus in the shortest Gospel |
| 17–21 | Psalms 1, 23, 46, 103, 139 | Learn to pray with the Psalms |
| 22–26 | Philippians 1–4, then James 1 | Short letters about joy and everyday faith |
| 27–30 | Genesis 1–4 | See where the whole story begins |
When you reach Psalm 46, take a moment with verse 10. Here’s what “be still, and know that I am God” really means in the context of the whole psalm.
When you finish, move on to Luke and Acts, which were written as a two-part story by the same author.
When you miss a day (you will)
Everyone misses days. When it happens, don’t try to catch up on everything you skipped, just pick up with today’s chapter. As Lamentations 3:22–23 puts it, God’s compassions “are new every morning.” A missed day isn’t a failure, it’s just a day.
Don’t read alone
Questions are a good sign. They mean you’re paying attention. Bring them to a friend, a small group or your pastor, and if you’d like someone to read with you between Sundays, you can text Heavenly. It reads along with you, answers questions with chapter and verse, and checks in at the time you choose so the habit sticks.