Read the Bible But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2b
Read the Bible But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2b
Our goal for this reading plan is to engage the Word of God regularly - and our hope is that it will inspire a commitment to knowing God through His Word, even that it would grow your love for Him and what He has to say. Reading scripture is an integral part of the Christian faith. It does more than fill us with knowledge — with the help and power of the Holy Spirit, it changes our lives because it’s living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
This plan will take us through the whole Bible in 2 years - the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once. Our hope is that it will be accessible to you no matter where you choose to begin or how you choose to read. The main goal is to get to know God through His Word regularly!

Jump in at any point by grabbing a bookmark, purchasing a SOAR journal or follow along on our free app (The Chapel Cleveland) in the app store.

Want the full plan?

How do I study the Bible?

Well, there are many ways! One helpful way we have found is the SOAR (also known as the SOAP) method. SOAR is an acronym that stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Reflection. If you need some help learning to study the Bible on your own, SOAR is a great place to start, a simple commitment, and can go as deep as you let it.

Helpful Tips for Bible Study

*Start with prayer.

Choose a time and a place

If your schedule allows it, set a regular time (time of day is not what matters most) and choose a place you enjoy for your Bible reading to make it a consistent part of your routine. This helps you develop a habit. It can even be helpful to have a special chair or a cup of coffee in hand, something that makes you want to keep coming back.

Use Bible study tools

We are privileged to have incredible access to tools that help us study God's Word. Some helpful apps we recommend are:
  • Blue Letter Bible for in-depth study of God's Word through free online reference library including commentaries and original Greek/Hebrew words
  • Dwell for a variety of audio Bibles
  • The Bible Project for short animated Bible videos and book overviews

Study with others

Studying God’s Word is more beautiful and rich when done within community. We hope and encourage the discussion and mutual encouragement of sharing your time in God’s Word with others: whether in your families, with your friends, in your small groups, with neighbors... What the Lord shares with you can often be used to minister to them as well as to you. As you read, consider who the Lord might be asking you to share what you are learning with.

Just read

The point of Bible reading is not checking off boxes or perfectly following a plan - it's getting to know God, the Creator of heaven and earth, personally, and learning what He has to say. Because of this, we want to encourage you to begin and we want to encourage you to continue. If you "get behind," start fresh and begin on the day’s reading; or take a day or two to catch up by reading a couple of extra chapters; or linger in a passage a little longer and skip others. Ultimately, be led by the Holy Spirit in your Bible reading. Where you are is likely right where you need to be; just read, He will meet you there.

Look for Jesus

Ask: Where is Jesus in this text? Where do you see the gospel? What do you learn about God and His character and heart for you and the world? The Bible -- the Old Testament AND New -- is best read when intentionally searching for the One it's all about! 

What's a SOAR Journal?

We've partnered with soarjournal.org to create these beautiful custom reading plan journals. They come in 90-day increments and have been intentionally made so that you can use them regardless of what Bible reading plan you are following, but they do pair nicely with this 2-year plan. We will have 4 different journals to cover each year - so stay tuned for the next one in June!

For some, this is a helpful and motivating tool to help them study God's Word consistently and an easy way to inspire group conversation too! However, it's not a requirement to participate in the reading plan.
If you would like to purchase a SOAR journal for $10, send us a message and we'll have them available until we run out!
> info@thechapelcleveland.com