My Favorite Bible Reading Plan: Robert Murray M'Cheyne

My favorite Bible reading plan is the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843) plan. He developed it for his congregation on December 30th, 1842. He was a pastor who died at 29 of typhus.

The benefits of the plan from my perspective:

1. It takes you to a diversity of the texts of scripture.
2. It can be broken up to a morning and evening reading.
3. If you complete it, you read through the Bible in a year. But you also read through the Psalms and New Testament twice. 
4. This plan was birthed out a pastor's heart for his congregation. 
5. If we say we believe the Bible, let us read it. 
6. What we read, transforms what we think. 
7. It is only about 4 chapters a day. 
8. If you miss a day, catch-up or go slower, that is fine. 
9. One advantage that M'Cheyne notes is time is not wasted on deciding where to read. 
10. If you have a plan, you are more likely to do something than nothing. 

M'Cheyne prefaced his plan this way.

"MY DEAR FLOCK, -- The approach of another year stirs up within me new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved. "God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ." What the coming year is to bring forth who can tell? There is plainly a weight lying on the spirits of all good men, and a looking for some strange work of judgment upon this land. There is a need now to ask that solemn question -- "If in the land of peace wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" 

Those believers will stand firmest who have no dependence upon self or upon creatures, but upon Jehovah our Righteousness. We must be driven more to our Bibles, and to the mercy-seat, if we are to stand in the evil day. Then we shall be able to say, like David – “The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined from Thy law.” “Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of Thy word.” 

It has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading, in which as many as were made willing by God might agree, so that the whole Bible might be read once by you in the year, and all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time."