The Food and Drug Administration requires labels on food packages to indicate the % Daily Value of that food item to the FDA’s recommendation of 2,000 calories a day. It doesn’t matter, in essence, who picks up that package of food. It is going to recommend 2,000 calories. Yet, even the FDA realizes that the caloric needs of each individual person varies.
Every person is different. A person’s age, gender, height, weight, metabolism and activity level all affect how much food and how many calories are needed. There is not a “one size fits all” number that can be applied to every individual. These factors (and others) must be taken into consideration.
The same is true when it comes to spiritual nutrition. There is not a “one size fits all” Bible intake schedule that works equally for every single person. Some Christians read nine chapters of the New Testament every day, so that they can read through the New Testament once every month. That’s a great practice, but not every Christian can handle that. Many Christians read about three chapters of the Bible every day, so that they can read through the entire Bible in a year. Again, that’s a wonderful practice, but it does not necessarily fit every Christian. Other reading plans can take a person through the Bible over a period of three years, or can take a person through the New Testament in a year by reading one chapter per day, or can help a person read the Old Testament once and the New Testament three times in a year. So many reading plans are available, which is a good thing.
The most important thing that a Christian can do is to take in as many Biblical calories as they can handle each day. Bible reading is not a speed-reading contest, but it is just as (and actually more) critical than one’s physical food intake each day. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). How many meals do you eat each day? How many snacks do you have? How many cups of coffee or bottles of water? Compare that with how many verses of the Bible (God’s spiritual food, Heb. 5:12-13) you take in each day. If your physical body could not survive without an average of 2,000 physical calories per day, how many Biblical calories does your soul need to remain healthy and alive?
May I encourage you to find what works for you. Find the best time of day and the best location for you. Then, find the best reading regimen for you. Read thoughtfully at least a few verses every day. Meditate on them. Pray through them. Then, like a physical appetite, increase your reading a little more to stretch and grow your faith. That’s God’s daily recommendation (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; Psa. 119:105; 1 Pet. 2:2).