M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
We're now a week into 2022, and life is back to normal after the holiday season. For all of us, the change of the last digit of the year invites us into new beginnings. A new year demands new resolutions and new habits. Perhaps you've made a list of new year's resolutions or goals, whatever you want to call them. One new goal or resolution, or preferably a habit that I hope you've considered in 2022, is reading through the Bible this year.
In 2022, I'm reading the Bible daily following the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan. If you're not familiar with this reading plan, I aim to explain the plan in this post and highlight the strengths of this plan. Ultimately, I hope you'll join me in reading the Bible this year following the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.
Robert Murry M’Cheyne was a Scottish pastor who lived a short but impactful life. His legacy lives on through a Bible reading plan he developed in the last year of his life explicitly designed for his congregation to read through the Bible in a year.
Born in 1814, M’Cheyne grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. He attended the university there, first studying the arts, then following his conversion, he studied in the divinity school. M’Cheyne served as a pastor in several churches and traveled as an evangelist around England. He served at St. Peter’s Church in Dundee, Scotland, preaching regularly to eleven hundred hearers. When his health declined because of ministry exhaustion, he took a break from the church to rest and traveled to Israel to evangelize to the Jews. Upon his return to Dundee, he realized the church flourished in his absence, so he devoted himself more to traveling and speaking. His health deteriorated quickly after returning from a trip in 1843. M’Cheyne died at age twenty-nine, and he left a legacy as a preacher, a man of prayer, and a pastor-scholar.
M’Cheyne developed a Bible reading plan for his congregation in 1842. He explained his plan in a short tract called Daily Bread, Being a Calendar for Reading Through the Word of God in a Year. In this tract, he addressed his “dear flock” and hoped that a new year would stir “new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved.” He urged his congregation, “We must be driven more to our Bibles, and to the mercy-seat, if we are to stand in the evil day.” Thus, M’Cheyne created a reading plan for his church “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.” In his brief explanation of the reading plan, M'Cheyne cites several scripture quotations without reference, revealing his knowledge and dependence on the word of God. He acknowledged the dangers of embarking on such a plan, including:
The “formality“ of such a plan that could lead to ritualism.
The plan might lead to “self-righteousness” and “complacency” in other areas of life
The plan might result in “careless reading” or just going through the routine without trembling at the word of God.
The weight of such a plan might be “a yoke too heavy to bear” for an entire year. The joy at the beginning of the year might become a burden.
On the other hand, M’Cheyne recognized that significant advantages often accompany the best and most dangerous endeavors:
“The whole Bible will be read through in an orderly manner in the course of a year.”
“Time will not be wasted in choosing what portions to read.”
“Parents will have a regular subject upon which to examine their children…”
“The pastor will know in what part of the pasture the flock are feeding.”
“The sweet bond of Christian love and unity will be strengthened.”
After outlining the dangers and advantages of the plan, M'Cheyne supplied the details of the reading plan. His Bible reading plan takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year and the rest of the Bible once each year by reading approximately four chapters per day, one chapter in four different books. Originally M'Cheyne listed two columns labeled "Family" and "Secret." He intended that the scripture listings in the "Family" columns be read in family devotions and those in "Secret" columns be read privately, in personal devotions. The adults of the house would read both columns and then bring verses to the dinner table to discuss with the household, as well as sing four verses of a Psalm so that each dinner might be a "sacrament, being sanctified by the Word and prayer." M'Cheyne encouraged reading the scriptures in private before the dawning of the day so that we "let God's voice be the first we hear in the morning."
Certainly, any endeavor to start a new habit or accomplish an important goal over an entire year seems daunting at first. Still, consistency and endurance in one habit over an extended time shape us in more ways than we realize. After completing the daily readings of the plan for this first week, I believe followers of Jesus should utilize the plan M'Cheyne developed almost two centuries ago to strengthen their love for God and others. M'Cheyne admitted, "it has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading." I'm not sure how long he thought about this plan, but the intentionality behind the plan becomes evident once you begin to put it into practice.
Below are what I believe to be two strengths of this plan:
The first strength is the variety within the plan. I've read the Bible from cover to cover, and it is a challenging feat especially slogging through parts of the Old Testament day after day. If you follow a plan that reads from cover to cover, essentially, you're reading the Old Testament for two-thirds of a year. The plan M'Cheyne developed reads through two Old Testament books and two New Testament books simultaneously, which creates variety for readers to keep reading. The variety of reading four different books of the Bible each day allows readers to break from the monotony of reading straight through from Genesis to Revelation.
The structure of the plan is the second strength. Designing a plan meant to be read privately and with others is ingenious. M'Cheyne knew that discipleship begins in the home and is primarily the responsibility of the parents. I've attempted to instill this habit within our family. I won't say every morning, but most mornings at breakfast, we read a brief portion of the Bible, say the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-6), and say the Lord's Prayer together. Throughout 2022, I hope to follow the structure of M'Cheyne's plan by incorporating the daily Bible reading plan into our family breakfast routine. This past week, we read the story of the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. Our daughter said the story about the temptation was not in her Jesus Storybook Bible, so reading stories within this plan will expose our children to other stories they have not heard in the Bible.
Life in 19th century Scotland was utterly different than 21st century America. I imagine life was slow, family was a value, and time was available for families to read the Bible together. M’Cheyne also encouraged his congregation to speak about the daily provision gathered through scripture reading with others they encountered on the road or to those to whom they wrote letters. Most of us life busy lives distracted by activities and screens. However, perhaps this year might be the year we begin a new habit of reading the Bible, and not just reading the Bible by yourself, but reading it with your family and others.
To access the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan, click here for an electronic copy. You can set also set up an account at Biblegateway.com and subscribe to have the plan delivered to your inbox. An app is available for $0.99 that simply tracks your progress. I’m sure there are other resources out there that also encourage you to follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.
M’Cheyne ended his small tract explaining his reading plan with these words:
Above all, use the Word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path—your guide in perplexity—your armor in temptation—your food in times of faintness. Hear the constant cry of the great Intercessor,
"SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH."
May 2022 be the year you form a new habit of reading scripture so that you are shaped and sanctified by the word of truth. I hope you join me in reading the Bible in 2022 by utilizing the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan. We’re only a week into the year, so you can catch up quickly or begin with today's reading if you have not started following the plan. Each week throughout the year, I’ll share my reflections on reading scripture.