What to read if you've never read the Bible

A simple, pressure-free reading plan for anyone opening the Bible for the first time

So many people make resolutions to start reading the Bible at the beginning of this month.

The goal is simple, but sometimes the task is rather big. The Bible is 66 collected books, and the question is where to start.

Now, here at the end of January, I've come to remember and realize that there are some who have never read the Bible.

As in ever.

Like they don't own one.

They've never perused one at Barnes & Noble.

They may not even know one verse.

Maybe you know someone like this.

With that idea in mind, I simply want to encourage any of my readers who have never read the Bible to pick a book of the Bible and read it through.

I suggest the book of Luke and then the book of Acts simply because they go together.

The book of Luke gives you a foundational narrative to understand the main character of Jesus Christ and the purpose of his teaching and mission.

Then the book of Acts continues with the results of Jesus’ teaching and mission spreading through the known land in the early first century.

If you've hung in through the book of Acts and continue to want to go on a reading spree, check out the book of Ephesians, James, and 1 John

So there you have it, the simple reading plan for someone who's never read the Bible before. Don't put any pressure on yourself to read all of it in one sitting. Take one or two chapters at a time and think about what's being presented.

Until you get a physical Bible, you can read the Bible online at ESV.org

I'm praying for your endeavor that, as you begin to read the Bible for the first time ever, you will truly understand and connect with the living God through his written Word.

For that is how the true living God speaks to us - through the Bible.