Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. II Peter 1:20,21

            We want all of what God has for us—let's not deprive ourselves of that blessing!

3)     Shortfalls:  Many devotionals will not guide you through the whole Bible. They are designed to be a complete (?) day's worth of spiritual insights. Even with those that suggest a reading of chapters/verses, there is a human tendency to just take that which is prepared. Like buying a cake, instead of baking it from scratch.

            We need God's direct leading and nothing else! If you do use a daily devotional, use it only as a secondary source and nothing more. Most devotionals today are infected with New Age teachings, which are the basis of the coming world religion of the antichrist. Consider the following wonderful promises, and claim them as your own.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15,16

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. II Timothy 3:16,17

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. I John 2:27

            Have you read through the whole Bible? We do need all of it (see Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4)! God can lead you into a planned reading all by Himself, but I have some suggestions that you may find helpful.

            First of all, give yourself adequate time to read. When you are starting the day, you may want a one chapter limit for time's sake. Your prayer time in devotions is more essential than extensive reading at this point. Some reading is still good, as the Lord often directly uses His Word to speak to your life. But you will need to pray, read, and consider the truths you are reading—so don't rush! Four chapters a day usually takes about 15 minutes.

            One plan I was shown calls for reading 85 verses per day, to go through the Bible in a year. I like to go by chapters, because they are usually more complete. Since chapters vary greatly in length, I often use the 85 verse tally to measure an adequate length. One need not be too caught up with numbers, though.

            There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible (66 books). 929 are in the Old Testament, 260 in the New Testament. I recommend four chapters daily; three from the Old Testament, and one in the New Testament. Using several different books for your reading will add veriety and a larger scope. You would then finish the New Testament earlier (260 days) than the Old Testament (310 days). Upon finishing the New Testament, my suggestion is to go back to Matthew and start it over again. My own regular reading now is in three books at a time, though I don't read from each of them every day. One of those book markers is almost always in the gospels; as I find the physical, earthly life of Jesus is very powerful to learn from!

             If you have read numerous books of the Bible, you may want to make your own list—focusing on what you have left to read. We cannot have too much of God's Word! We should be prayerfully reading and re-reading it constantly. God knows our sinful nature. By consistent exposure to God's instructions, we will be transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 11:18-20

            May the Lord richly bless you as you study His Word.

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalms 12:6,7

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Special Note:  Psalms 119 has 176 verses split into 22 sections! By the number of verses, this one chapter could easily be considered as four.

            My suggestion is that you split this chapter into four sections, and read only one a day (as a chapter) in conjunction with your other reading. The reason? 119 is rich concerning the instruction and application of the Word of God; for best benefit it should be absorbed slowly, or else you may be overwhelmed by the enormity of it. Psalms has many shorter chapters, and (if you wish) you can easily make up for 119 by reading more than your four chapters some days. As an example, Psalms 1-6 only have 56 verses altogether!