The aged apostle Paul penned these words to the young evangelist Timothy: “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13).

In 1966, Words of Truth ran an article by Grady Latham in which he reported the time it takes for an average person to read each book of the New Testament, as appears below.

Matthew 1:43
Mark :45
Luke 1:25
John 1:00
Acts 1:20
Romans :35
1 Corinthians :28
2 Corinthians :23
Galatians :13
Ephesians :13
Philippians :08
Colossians :08
1 Thessalonians :07
2 Thessalonians :04
1 Timothy :10
2 Timothy :07
Titus :03
Philemon :01
Hebrews :26
James :10
1 Peter :10
2 Peter :07
1 John :08
2 John :01
3 John :01
Jude :02
Revelation :41

If brother Latham’s information is accurate, then the average reader could complete the entire New Testament in 10 hours and 39 minutes. Willard Collins reported in the Gospel Advocate in 1967 that a public reading was accomplished in 15 hours and 25 minutes.

Granted, one may not be able to mediate on the passages while reading if they are to be completed in this amount of time. One can, however, use a pencil to place a small checkmark in the margin next to a verse he wants to study more deeply later, or keep a small notebook handy to jot down a reference for future study.

Spend some time with God’s Word, and “give attendance to reading.”