Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day and You’ll Grow, Grow, Grow

If you grew up in church, you might remember a simple children’s song with a simple, yet powerful message: “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” It’s catchy, easy to sing, and fun for kids, but the truth behind those words is life-changing for all ages. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of intentional, daily habits that draw us closer to God.

When people express to me a dissatisfaction with their spiritual life, one of the first diagnostic questions I ask concerns their Bible reading habits. If we want to grow in our relationship with God, we need to be regularly reading his Word.

Why Does Daily Bible Reading Matter?

Just as food nourishes your body, God’s Word nourishes your soul. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” If we try to live spiritually without Scripture, we starve ourselves.

The truth is, many Christians struggle with consistency. We start strong in January with big plans to read the Bible regularly, but by February, life gets busy and the habit fades. Yet the Bible calls us to steady, ongoing engagement.

Joshua 1:8 reads, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…”. Psalm 119:97 proclaims, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” God’s Word isn’t meant for occasional visits, but for daily bread.

What Happens When We Neglect It?

The children’s song warns: “Don’t read your Bible, forget to pray, and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.” That’s not just cute, it’s true. When we neglect Scripture and prayer, we drift spiritually. Hebrews 2:1 warns that “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Our hearts grow cold, our priorities shift, and we lose the joy and strength that come from walking closely with God. Spiritual decline rarely happens overnight; it’s the slow result of neglect, especially neglect of hearing from God through his Word.

How Can I Develop the Habit of Regular Bible Reading?

The simplest way to develop consistency with time in God’s Word is to follow a Bible reading plan. Our church has prepared a simple, accessible, and tailored Bible reading plan so that you can read alongside your church family and apply what you’re learning together. There are multiple ways to participate so you can find the path that works best for you:

• Follow the Card. Pick up a card in your Sunday School class or a Next Steps station and stick it in the front cover of your bible to always have it with you.
• Use the App. The plan is built into our church app, which you can read or even have read to you audibly.
• Subscribe for an Email Reminder. Sign up to have the daily reading delivered to your email inbox.
• Download the Whole Bible Plan. For those who want a plan that covers every book of the Bible this year, download the printable PDF and tuck it in your bible.

What Makes the First Baptist Church Reading Plan Unique?

Our plan is customized for our church and syncs up with what we’re studying as a church in 2026. You will be reading right along with our Sunday morning sermon series and our Sunday School lessons by reading those passages the week leading up to when they will be taught. That means both your mind and your heart are being prepared to receive the Word as a church family on Sunday.

Here’s the specifics for how our Grow in the Word Bible Reading Plan is laid out:

• Two readings each day. You can spread out the two readings across mornings and evenings or read them together in about 10 minutes a day.
• Five-day rhythm. There are no assigned readings on Saturday or Sunday, which you can use to catch up on any missed days, linger over the passages we’re studying at church, or use the weekend to complete the Sunday School workbook.
• Congregationally Customized. Early in the week, you’ll read through the passages that will be taught in Sunday School, and on Friday, you’ll read and begin to meditate on the sermon text for the coming Lord’s Day.
• Scripture Coverage. In the 2026 plan, you will read the entire New Testament, the OT books being taught in Sunday School (Jonah, Song of Solomon, and 1 & 2 Kings), the second half of Genesis (the subject of the Sunday morning sermon series), the rest of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), and Joshua.

Start Today!

Don’t wait until January 1^st to start reading your Bible regularly. You need the nourishment from God’s Word today! And if New Year’s Day has come and gone, don’t wait until next year to start. And if you miss a day, just start reading again the next day. Hebrews 3:13 instructs us to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Following along with our church’s Bible reading plan is one way that you can be exhorted every day to be in God’s Word. Ask a fellow church member to read along with you and hold you accountable. Share around your Sunday School table what you have learned and how you are growing in the Christian life. Over lunch on Sunday, discuss one point of application you took away from the sermon.

Though the lyrics are simple, the truths they communicate are profound: “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.”

To find our 2026 Daily Bible Reading Plan, go to fbcjax.com/biblereadingplan.