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Daily Bible Reading by Email

M'Cheyne Plan

New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Bible once in a year

📅 364 days
📖 4.4 chapters/day
👥 8798 readers
🕐 ~15 min/day

Four chapters per day across two tracks: two for “Family” worship (read aloud with others) and two for “Secret” devotion (personal, private reading). The result: you read the New Testament and Psalms twice each year, and the rest of the Old Testament once.

Originally prepared by the Scottish minister Robert Murray M’Cheyne in the 1840s and later refined by D. A. Carson, this plan has been in continuous use for nearly 200 years.

Portrait of Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843)

Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a minister of the Church of Scotland at St. Peter’s Church, Dundee. Despite dying of typhus at only 29, he became one of the most beloved figures in Scottish church history, known for his passionate preaching and deep devotional life. He designed this plan so that families would read two passages aloud together (“Family”) and individuals would read two more privately (“Secret”). D. A. Carson later refined the plan and published a two-volume devotional companion, <em>For the Love of God</em>, with daily commentary.

Public domain engraving, c. 1844
“One gem from that ocean is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams.” — Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Tips for Staying Consistent

  • Same time each day — pair your reading with morning coffee or an evening wind-down.
  • Don't worry about falling behind — skip ahead to today's reading if you miss a day. Grace, not guilt.
  • Keep a journal — jot a one-sentence takeaway; it deepens retention more than you'd expect.
  • Tell someone — an accountability partner doubles your odds of finishing.

Recommended Resources

For the Love of God, Vol. 1 — D. A. Carson’s daily devotional companion to this plan

For the Love of God, Vol. 2 — Second volume of Carson’s M’Cheyne commentary

Memoir and Remains of R. M. M’Cheyne — Andrew Bonar’s classic biography of M’Cheyne

Enhance your reading with a quality study Bible: Study Bibles on Amazon

Track your progress with a Bible reading journal.

Click any reading to open it on BibleGateway.com. Pick a start date above to see your personalized schedule with real dates.

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