2025 BIBLE READING + MEMORIZING

It's our desire to cultivate the habit of Bible reading and meditation individually and together as a church family. We want God’s Word to dwell in us so that we might be shaped by it and encourage one another with it. This year we’ll do that in two ways: daily readings and weekly memory verses.

Daily Readings

We’ll once again follow the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan, with resources provided by Crossway and The Gospel Coalition. We appreciate the accessibility of this plan and its corresponding devotionals. In the course of a year, this plan takes readers through the entire Old Testament once, and the New Testament and Psalms twice. However, our emphasis is on regularly being in God’s Word, not completing the plan! There’s no pressure to “keep up.” If you get behind or start later in the year, just jump in with today’s reading.

This plan is accessible in a few different ways:

• Daily readings will be available on our ResCom App

• A one-page printable schedule is available here. Paper copies and bookmark sets are also available at church.

• Readings are available on The Gospel Coalition's website here, where you can also subscribe to receive a daily e-mail.

• Audio versions of the daily readings are available by searching “M’Cheyne ESV Bible Plan” in your preferred podcast platform.

Weekly Memory Verses

Memorizing Scripture helps God’s Word to dwell more deeply in our brains and in our hearts. It enables us to remember truth, recognize and repent of sin, and rest in God. It also equips us to provide encouragement to others and helps to fuel our prayers.

Each week we’ll have a memory verse (noted in the app and Sunday bulletin), selected from the week’s daily readings. A few ways to commit this verse to memory and meditate on it throughout the week:

• Read the verse(s) in context (i.e. read the entire passage or chapter it’s from) to get a better understanding of its significance

• Read the verse each day, and post it where you’ll see it often (dashboard, bathroom mirror, phone lock screen, etc.)

• Write the verse down and/or say it out loud repeatedly throughout the week

• Incorporate the verse into your prayers

• Listen to the verse set to music. Check this playlist to hear many of our memory verses in musical form

• For more on Scripture memory, read “Why Should We Memorize God’s Word?” by Hunter Beless and The Great Good of Bible Memorization by George Sinclair

We encourage you to connect regularly with others in our ResCom family to talk about what you’re reading and memorizing, and share what God’s teaching you -- whether through text, e-mail, or conversations. You can also join the discussion on our GroupMe by clicking here. 

See below for additional resources. If you are new to the Bible, exploring the Christian faith, or want to get connected to a Community Group, we’d love to talk with you. Please contact us here.

 Tools and Resources

There is much to be learned from simply reading what’s on the page of your Bible. However, if you’d like additional insights into the context of what you’re reading and how to interpret it, here are a few of our favorite resources:

• The Bible Project -- a free website with excellent video overviews of each book of the Bible, along with additional videos on biblical themes and words.

• The ESV Study Bible -- this study Bible contains detailed introductions to each book of the Bible along with countless notes, charts, references, maps, and a great deal of helpful information that can shed light on cultural context and tricky passages of Scripture. This is just one of many good study Bibles to choose from, and includes contributions from a number of professors at Covenant Theological Seminary here in St. Louis.

• How to Read the Bible Book by Book -- if a Study Bible is not your speed, this is a handy and accessible reference book to have on hand. It includes a brief introduction, outline, and guidance for reading each book of the Bible.

• For an overview of the big picture of the biblical story, we recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible (it’s not just for kids!) or Far as the Curse is Found

• Dwell -- this Audio Bible app allows you to listen to the Bible as it’s read by a variety of voices along with background music. There is a yearly subscription, but this is a great resource if you frequently listen to Bible passages.