The verdict: if you’ve ever started the Bible and not finished it, this is the one that fixes that.
It’s not a gimmick and it’s not a study course. It’s a real NASB Bible re-sequenced so you actually get through it in a year — four short readings a day, opened to today’s date. After a month of daily use, it does exactly what it claims. The only people who should skip it are named below.
Here’s the thing about the Life Principles Daily Bible: almost everyone who lands on it has already tried to read the Bible cover to cover at least once. They know the frustration. What they don’t know yet is whether this specific edition is different from the Bible already sitting on their shelf, or just another version of the same book they’ll abandon in February.
So we used it every day for a month and put it up against the honest questions a buyer actually asks. What does it really do? How well does it do it? And is there any reason not to get it? Below is what we found.
What it actually is (and what it isn’t)
It’s the full Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible in the New American Standard translation — the complete text, not an abridgment. What makes it different is the sequence. Dr. Stanley deliberately broke it out of the usual Genesis-to-Revelation order and arranged it into 365 dated daily readings.
Each day gives you four short passages: an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a Proverb, and a New Testament reading. It is not a devotional booklet that quotes a verse and moves on — you’re reading the real Bible, just structured so you finish it.
How well it works: we finished more of it in a month than in past years
The claim is that you read the whole Bible in a year, fifteen minutes a day. The part that surprised us is why it works. Because you’re reading four threads at once, no single hard stretch can stall you. On the days the Old Testament ran into dense law or genealogy, the Psalm and the New Testament reading kept the momentum going. You don’t hit the wall that kills most Bible-reading attempts.
And there’s no plan to fall behind on. You open it to today’s date and read. Miss a day, and you just open it to the next date — nothing to catch up on. That single design choice is the difference between finishing and quitting.
The extras that earn their place
A lot of “special edition” Bibles pad themselves with filler. This one doesn’t. The additions are genuinely useful: highlighted verses marked as biblical promises, small arrows pointing to a deeper life lesson on a verse you’d otherwise skim, and recurring series like “Answers to Life’s Questions” that line up with the day’s reading.
So when a passage raises something real — how do I handle burnout, what does this promise mean for me — Dr. Stanley’s note is right there in the margin. It connects the reading to your actual week instead of leaving it abstract.
The honest drawbacks
No review is worth reading if it pretends a product is perfect, so here’s the straight talk. The daily order means it’s not built for looking up a specific book on demand — if you want to sit and read all of Romans start to finish, a standard Bible does that better. This is a Bible built for daily reading discipline, not reference.
Second: the NASB is the most word-for-word accurate translation, which is exactly why some readers love it — but if you specifically want an ultra-casual paraphrase, this isn’t that. And the popular red NASB edition sells out; if it’s in stock, that’s not a marketing line, it’s a real constraint.
What we liked
- You actually finish it — the daily structure removes the wall
- Full, accurate NASB text, not an abridgment
- Open to today’s date; no plan to track or fall behind on
- Dr. Stanley’s notes are useful, not filler
- About 15 minutes a day — realistic to sustain
Worth knowing
- Built for daily reading, not quick reference lookups
- NASB is word-for-word, not a loose paraphrase
- The red edition sells out and waits on reprints
Get it if…
You’ve started the Bible before and never finished, you want to read the whole thing in a year without a complicated plan, and you’d rather have an accurate translation with a little guidance in the margins.
Skip it if…
You mainly want a reference Bible to jump around in, you already finish reading plans easily on your own, or you specifically prefer a casual paraphrase over a word-for-word translation.
What other readers say
This edition vs. the Bible already on your shelf
Give the daily readings an honest try. If you’re not further into the Bible than you’ve ever gotten, send it back within 30 days for a full refund of the purchase price.
Our verdict: worth it — and worth getting while it’s in stock
You already know you want to read the Bible. This is the edition that actually gets you there. Start on today’s date, not January 1st.
Get the NASB EditionBefore you decide
Is this the full Bible or just excerpts?
The full Bible — the complete NASB text, re-sequenced into 365 dated daily readings. Nothing is left out.
Do I have to start January 1st?
No. You start on today’s date and read a year from there. Miss days? Nothing to catch up on — just open it to the new date.
Why the NASB specifically?
It’s the closest word-for-word translation available, and it’s the red edition readers ask for by name. If accuracy matters to you, it’s the one to get.
What if it doesn’t work for me?
You’re covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it doesn’t get you further than you’ve ever gotten, return it for a full refund of the purchase price.