Bible Reading 2026

January 4th, 2026

Happy New Year, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville! I’m writing on behalf of the pastoral team to issue an invitation (or a challenge, if you are the competitive type) to every member of Sovereign Grace Church.

We want to invite you to join us in reading through the Bible in 2026.

“What?! It’s such a big book. I will never make it through Numbers!”

I know, there are plenty of reasons people get bogged down. But most of these reasons are easily overcome. If you haven’t read through the Bible, or haven’t in a while, I want to encourage you to consider joining us in 2026. For a personal invitation to join us, click the video below

FOUR REASONS TO CONSIDER JOINING US

1. ALL Scripture is breathed out by God, and is profitable… (2 Tim 3:16–17). We’ve seen recently how (surprisingly) edifying the genealogies of Exodus can be.

2. You will gain a deeper grasp of the big storyline of the Bible. The New Testament builds upon the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we find the promises of the Old Testament are kept, the imagery of the Old Testament is fulfilled, the hope of the Old Testament brought to fruition. The whole Bible points to Jesus in one way or another (Luke 24:27).

3. You will see God’s providence on display. You might not expect God to meet you in a profound way during your daily reading in, say, Joel. But whenever we come to this book with faith, the Lord opens the eyes of our hearts to see. He meets us in parts of Scripture to which we wouldn’t normally gravitate. You may find a verse you’ve never read in a book you’ve read a lot of times. This happened to me the other day: I was freshly provoked reading Daniel 11:32, "...the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” What a great verse!

4. There are special blessings that come from reading along with others. Enlist your spouse, your kids, your roommates, or your fellow community group members to read the same plan. We enjoy unique fellowship when we tell someone, “I was reading this morning in Isaiah 40…” and they respond, “I was too!” We can draw encouragement and endurance from knowing that we are in this together with our brothers and sisters.

HOW TO GET STARTED

PICK A BIBLE PLAN

The ESV Study Bible app on your phone has a number of plans built right in and will track your progress for you.
I like Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s reading plan: it lists your readings in four columns. Read the first three columns, and you get through the entire Bible in 365 days. Add the fourth column, and you take another lap through the New Testament and Psalms. D. A. Carson’s For the Love of God provides short meditations on each daily reading, with compelling insights and suggestions for application.
Discipleship Journal’s reading plan is also popular.
For more personalized daily assistance, consider listening to Scripture for Students podcast daily meditations to help students (and others!) develop a daily habit for life-long Bible reading.
For a wider selection of plans, Ligonier has a pretty comprehensive list.

DECIDE AHEAD OF TIME

on a specific time, place, and duration. Aim for consistency. Habits are powerfully, and the longer you can stay with it, the easier it will be to stay with it.

PLAN FOR CATCH UP DAYS

Everybody gets behind; it’s probably the biggest reason people give up a month into it. Decide now that once a week, you’ll read a couple chapters to get caught up. Or play the audio version while you’re getting ready for church.

PARENTS

Consider introducing your children to the yearly habit of reading through the Bible in a year. Be realistic, and choose a plan that is age appropriate, but don’t underestimate what an 8-year old can get done in 10 minutes of daily reading! Plus, you’ll have a built-in agenda for family devotions around a daily family meal.

BONUS

Make a plan to read through the Bible in 2026 and mark your calendar for January 2027. I’m going to host a pancake party for every church member (of any age!) who read through the Bible in 2026.

So, I hope you’ll join us. Reading the Bible is its own reward, and reading the whole Bible is especially rewarding. John Newton wisely said, “The best advice I can give you: Look unto Jesus, beholding his beauty in the written word.” I look forward to hearing the testimonies of how God meets you in your Bible reading in 2026!

Gratefully,
Steve Whitacre
On Behalf of the Pastors