Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. The purpose is to see afresh our need for a Savior, renew our devotion to him through daily repentance, and remember that Jesus has conquered sin and death. In some traditions, an ashen cross is applied to one’s forehead to serve as a physical reminder that you have come from dust and to dust you will return (Gen. 3:19). But it is also a reminder to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11).

So you’ve been thinking about reading the Bible in 2025. Maybe you want to read the whole Bible, from beginning to end, for the very first time. Or maybe you desire to get more acquainted with the Old Testament this year. 

Yet, these wonderful reading goals can feel like an overwhelming task. How can we get started? And how can we keep going when the reading gets tough?

I’d like to share with you a few tools that I find helpful. Two I’ve used almost everyday for many years. The other is a new one that I just discovered. Let’s start with the new one: