Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Simple Steps to Commit to Reading the Bible This Year | More Days Than Not

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

Reading the Bible more days than you don't will change your life—but let's be honest, it's not always easy. What if the difficult parts held the deepest truths? In this message, discover how to make Bible reading enjoyable, sustainable, and transformative.NEXT STEPSHave you made the decision to follow Jesus? You might be wondering what’s next for you. We want to help! Check out these resources to ​​discover what saying yes to Jesus means: https://www.life.church/yesABOUT THIS MESSAGEWe all get excited about “new year, new goals”—but what's the secret to habits that last? What if being perfect isn't as impactful as being consistent? In this message, discover how showing up More Days Than Not can lead to habits that stick.Bible Plans help make Bible reading feel doable. Find the right Plan for you and start today: https://go2.lc/bible-plansABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.churchFind locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/appFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/life.churchTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@life.churchCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIG GROESCHELYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/craiggroeschelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/35447748/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I have a question to kick things off. How many of you are already thinking about what you want to do different to make next year better than this year? Show hands? How many of you? Okay, pretty much all of us. For me, I've got like one very clear and specific goal. And when I tell you what this goal is, I already know that you're going to judge me. But when you do, not if, when you do, that's okay because God loves me, my wife loves me, my mom is. My mom is. here and she loves me. This is the goal, to beat up my little brother. Now, I know, you're thinking, wow, that is weirdly specific and not very Christian. I told you you would judge me. But listen, listen, let me explain. This is the context for this goal. I come from a family of fighters. So my dad, he was a fifth-degree black belt in taekwondo, a brown belt in judah, a blue belt in jujitsu, and a stud of a wrestler in high school. I started training back when I was going into my freshman year of high school, and my little brother started when he was even younger than that. And so for my entire life, I have whooped on my little brother. But in the last few years,

some things have changed. In the last few years, my little brother has transformed from a boy into a beast of a man. He is a freak of nature. He's currently in the army training for special forces. That means that every day, all day, he eats, he breathes, and he's He sleeps becoming the baddest human on the planet. And in the last few years, I turned 30. We had our second kid. I had a whole bunch of other life responsibilities fall on my plate. And so now, last couple times we've scuffled, he has come out on top.

But I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen, there is a chance that if the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of me, there is a chance that just one more time I can beat my little brother in a fight. Very small chance. But for me, having that as my goal helps me make the process of being physically healthy way more enjoyable. Now, hopefully for you, whatever your habits that you're wanting to set, the resolutions that you're thinking about, the goals that you're attempting to achieve, hopefully for you, those are more realistic and more beneficial than mine. Maybe for you, the thing that you want to do is get physically healthy so that you can play with your kids and not

be in pain. Maybe for you, you want to grow spiritually stronger so that you can experience the presence of God in a new and a different way. Maybe for you, the thing that you want is to attack your debt so that you can experience financial freedom. Or maybe you want to strengthen your relationships. So you're already thinking about how you can be a more intentional friend. Whatever it is, there will come a point where all of us, our discipline runs out, our desires to do the right thing, reach zero. And statistically speaking, that most often happens on the second Friday of January. That's why that Friday has become known as Quidders Day, because that is the day when the vast majority of people quit their New Year's resolutions. And so if we want to make change that lasts,

I think one of the best things that we can do is confront the brutal facts, that knowing better is not the same thing as doing better. That knowing better is not the same thing as doing better. If it was, we'd all be crushing it. Because to be physically healthy means exercising and eating better. To be financially successful means making more and spending less. Being spiritually strong comes from time in the word and worshiping alongside God's people.

We all know those things, but for most of us, we aren't actually experiencing those things. at least not consistently. And so my recommendation, if you want to make change sustainable, is figure out how to make the process more enjoyable. If you want change to be sustainable, make the process enjoyable. For me, when I first started eating healthy, it was miserable because I thought eating healthy meant only eating the most bland and tasteless foods imaginable. I'm talking baked chicken. I'm talking baked chicken. I'm talking. steamed broccoli, I'm talking brown rice, I'm talking spinach and lettuce salads with no sauce

or seasoning to speak of. And so after doing that for a little bit of time, it was miserable and I wanted to throw in the towel. And then somebody showed me that you can eat food that is good for you and also taste good. That healthy food can be tasty and it doesn't take forever to make and it doesn't cost you a second mortgage to afford, that if you eat healthy in a way that is enjoyable, it becomes more sustainable. And so if we want to make lasting change going into this new year, I think one of the best things that we can do

is figure out how to make the process enjoyable. Now, out of all the changes, all the habits, all the goals, all the resolutions that we could set, I believe there is one that has the power to make a bigger difference in your life and faith than anything else. And that one habit, that one change is this, to read the Bible more days than you don't. Read the Bible more days than you don't. Now, you don't just have to take my word for it. There's this organization, they're the Center for Bible Engagement. And after studying the lives of more than 100,000 people,

they discovered what they call the rule of four. And it's this idea that if somebody reads the Bible, zero times a week, one time a week, two times a week, or even three times a week, or even three, times a week, there is little to know change in their life. But as soon as somebody reads it, four or more days a week, more days than they don't, that changes become noticeable and measurable. Here's what they found, that those who read the Bible, four or more days a week, are 228% more likely to share their faith. They're more than 400% more likely to memorize Scripture. They are 59% less likely to watch porn, and they are 30% less likely to strike. with loneliness. And this is just the beginning. Because those who read the Bible four or more days

a week, they are less tempted to overeat, have sex outside of marriage, neglect their family, lie, lash out in anger, drink excessively, gossip or overspend. When you read the Bible more days than you don't, we get more of what we want and less of what we don't. That's why, to summarize their findings, this is what they said. They said that engaging the Bible, four or more days a week is the single most powerful predictor of spiritual growth, which they define as becoming more like Christ in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. So if you want next year to be better than this year, I think one of the best things that you can do is read the Bible more days than you don't. And all of this lines up so beautifully with what God's word actually says about itself.

In 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul wrote these words. He says that all scripture is God-breathed. It is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So ladies and gentlemen, if you want to make next year better than this one, choose to read the Bible more days than you don't. Now, if all it took to do better was to know better, then we can just end the sermon right here and I'll go home. But because that's not how change actually works. What I want to do for the rest of our time is talk about how to make reading the Bible more enjoyable so that it will be more sustainable. So if you want to make reading the Bible more enjoyable, I think the first thing you should do is know

the goal. Know the goal of why we read God's word. I don't care who you are, but winning is always more fun than losing. And I think for so many people, the reason we walk away from our time in God's word, not having enjoyed it, is because we don't actually know if we're winning or not. Thing number two, find a guide, because making progress always feels better than being stuck. And if you want to get unstuck, one of the wisest things that you can do is find a guide to help you get where you want to go. And then thing number three, refuse to give up. to give up. Because the joy of overcoming a significant challenge is almost always worth the effort it took to get there. But if you stop before you get there, you don't get to experience the joy

that is waiting for you. Now, I'm aware that at this point, there might be some of you thinking, okay, I hear all that. But it sounds like you're still just trying to get me to eat healthy food, like chicken, rice, and broccoli. Let me be clear. One thousand percent. Like, you have to still eat the healthy stuff. Like, you actually have to read God's Word. That's why I'm not trying to convince you that I can help you make reading God's Word the most enjoyable thing you can do. But we can make it more enjoyable. It's still going to take work. It's still going to take some discipline. Like, for me personally, I have eaten lots of healthy chicken sandwiches, but none of them taste better than the spicy chicken from Chick-fil-A.

but because I know what some healthy chicken sandwiches can taste like, the spicy chicken is less tempting. And the healthy ones are more enjoyable so I can keep coming back to them. That's what I want to try to do with the Bible. Help you make reading it more enjoyable so that as you do, you will experience the change that is available and you will want to keep coming back for more. Now, for me, when I first started reading the Bible after I became a Christian, I did not know the goal. I did not have a guide. But because Jesus had changed my life and because of the discipline instilled in me by my parents, I just kept showing up. I refused to give up. I mentioned that I started training martial arts when I was in high school.

And there were so many days, even though I loved it, where I would much rather sit at home and play Xbox than actually go to practice. And every time my dad would say the same thing, he'd look me in the eyes and say, son, bring your body and your mind will follow. Bring your body and your mind will follow. Because he understood that the joy that we experience after we do the thing outweighs us not wanting to do the thing before we actually do the thing. And so when I first became a Christian, I got my great-grandmother's King James Version Bible. And every night, For 30 minutes, for three months, I brought my body, and my mind kind of followed. Because the truth is, I was having such a hard time actually following along with what I was reading

because I understood none of it. No, no, for some of you, KJV, that is your cup of tea, it is not mine. But thankfully, I had a guide. I had a pastor. And I went to him and I said, hey, man, I need some help. Because this Bible might be the worst book I've ever read. and he recommended something that might be just like common information for all of you. It was not for me as a brand new baby Christian.

He said, did you know there are other Bible versions? And all of a sudden, my Bible reading became less miserable, not yet quite enjoyable. And then the real shift happened about six years ago when I changed my role at the church. Instead of being a youth pastor at a single location, I was put in charge of overseeing the content for our whole student ministry. and with that responsibility, like, I now had to figure out, okay, like, what is this book really? Why do we trust it? And how do we read it wisely? And so I just dove head first into all of those questions. And as I was trying to become a better Bible teacher, God showed me how to be a better Bible reader. And that's when, for me, reading the Bible finally started to become enjoyable.

because I knew the goal. I found some guides, and I refused to give up. And so all of that being said, what I want to do next is a little bit different, but I want to try to the best of my ability, help you see the goodness of God's word. The stuff that has always been there, but for most of us we haven't seen before. And so I want you to think of my role as kind of like a server at a fancy restaurant, where the chef has put in all of this really fancy stuff to make this meal extra tasty, extra good. And I just want to explain to you what God put into his word to show you just how intentional he was with every word. Now, disclaimer number one, we're going to go fast. They're going to put a 10-minute timer on the screen to keep me on track because if they let me, I would talk about this all day,

but we've got another church service coming, so we're going to stay on track. The other thing is if you're a note taker, you better write fast because we will be moving fast. Now, if you are not, I need you know, that's totally okay. Like if you go to the fancy restaurant, you can enjoy the meal without paying any attention to what the server says about it. You can enjoy God's word without understanding anything that I'm about to tell you, but hopefully this will help you appreciate it just a little bit more. So that for you, reading it will be a little bit more enjoyable and as a result become a little bit more sustainable. So in three, two, one, let's go. I think the best way to show off the goodness of God's word is to go all the way to the beginning in Genesis chapter one.

for a couple reasons. Number one, that's where God started. That's where most people start reading the Bible. And this is also the place where so many new believers and skeptics get tripped up with questions. Because right at the beginning, they are forced to ask the question. Do I trust what God has said or all the stuff that I learned growing up in school? Because it seems like these ideas are contradicting each other. And I think it seems like that because for the vast majority of people, they don't actually know the goal of reading the Bible. If nobody's ever told you this, the goal of the Bible is not to answer every question about everything. That's not what the goal is. The goal is to introduce us to God, to help us understand who he is and how we are meant to relate to him.

The reason I know that is because that's where the entire book begins. In the beginning. God, he's the main character. He created the heavens and the earth. And the entire rest of the biblical story is explaining God's relationship with His creation. So if you want to read the Bible wisely, I got two big ideas for you. Number one, remember that Jesus is king. That means every page and every passage is pointing us to Jesus. And it is showing us how we're meant to live like Jesus. And idea number two is that context is everything. Context. All the information, that gives meaning to what we are reading helps us understand what we're reading and what it means.

So let's talk about the context of Genesis chapter one. This chapter was originally written down by Moses and delivered to the Jewish people who at this point in history were wandering through the wilderness on their way to the promised land. And right before this, these people had spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt. That means for generation after generation they had been born into, they had lived under, and they had died as slaves. Slaves to the whims of Pharaoh, a man who claimed to be a God. And then all of a sudden, a new God shows up. And through his human partner, a guy named Moses, he begins doing miraculous things. A series of ten dimensions. A series of ten every single one of them, precisely aimed at undermining the authority of the Egyptian gods.

He was sending a message the entire time. And so now all of a sudden, you've got these people who had only ever known Egypt. And now they're being asked to follow God. A God who is leading them with his visible presence, a pillar of smoke in the day, a pillar of fire at night, who is taking them to a new place they've never been before. So the questions they were we're asking, we're not. So like, how old is the earth really? And is all this stuff supposed to be literal, or is it metaphor? They were asking the question, who is this God? And what makes us so special that he would go to such great lengths to save us? We keep reading in Genesis 1, the next few verses start to show us a little bit about what God is doing. In verse 3, we see that God

said, let there be light. Now, ten times in Genesis 1, we read God said. And 10 times, what God says comes to pass. After he says, let there be light, God saw that the light was good. Seven times in Genesis 1, God sees it and he calls it good. And he separates the light from the darkness. God calls the light day and the darkness he calls night. There was evening and there was morning the first day. This is the first of seven days. Now, if you want to understand Hebrew poetry wisely, you've got to pay attention to the patterns and the problems, because those reveal the purpose. So we see these patterns start to emerge right here in the beginning, that God says it and it comes to pass, that God sees what he has made and he calls it good, the first of seven days. But there's already a problem,

because that refrain, evening and morning, only shows up six times. The pattern breaks. Why? Because there's something really special about the seventh day. If we go to the next page in Genesis chapter two, we're told that by the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day, he rested from all of his work. Then God blessed the seventh day he made it holy, because on it he rested from

all the work of creating that he had done. Every other day gets mentioned one time, but the seventh day is mentioned three times. And three times we're told on this day, God rested, he finished, he stopped working. Now, for most of us, this doesn't really mean much of anything, because we've always had a two-day weekend. But for the original audience, remember, for 400 years, all they had ever known was work day in and day out. All they had ever known was slavery to Pharaoh and to the Egyptian gods, who in their worldview, the people of God, the Hebrew people, they were nothing more than worms. But then all of a sudden, God shows up in power. And after he leads them into this new place, as he tells them about these promises that he has for them, they discover,

that he is a God who rests. He's a God who created them in his image. And when God saw humanity, he called them very good. You see, what Genesis 1 is telling us is that God is a God of love, who creates everything and it is always good. And he invites us as human beings to partner with him and his good plans for the world. And so on the seventh day, God rests. This would set the pattern of the Sabbath, where once a week the Jewish people would stop working. And it's more than just a day off. It is an invitation to rest in the hand of an almighty God. It is an invitation to believe deep in your bones that your value does not come from what you do. Your value comes from the God who made you. And that truth that showed all the way up in Genesis 1 is still true

for you today, that your value doesn't come from what you do. Your value is found in the God who made you. Now, if that right there was all that God was doing in Genesis 1, it would be more than enough. But he's doing so much more. A common question that skeptics might ask is, okay, so like, day one, you say God creates light. But how does that work if he doesn't create the sun into stars until day four. And at first glance, this seems like a contradiction. But I'm telling you, the context, it resolves every contradiction. There's this guy, Hugh Ross. He's a really great guy. And one of the things that he's talked about are these two periods of time in the early stages of the universe, known as recombination and decoupling. And it was during these periods of time that photons,

light particles, were first produced. And quite literally, light was separated from darkness. And this all happened long before the sun and the stars were made. Now, I think the scientific answer is interesting, but I think the most important one is the answer that the Bible actually gives. Day one, God creates light. Day four, sun and stars show up. So where does that come from? Well, about a thousand years or more after Genesis was first written down, about 2,000 years before we ever understood the concepts of recombination and decoupling, there was this guy named John. He was a friend, a follower, and an I witness of Jesus. And in a letter to early Christians, he said, let me tell you about the message that we heard. God is light. And in him there is no darkness at all. And that idea, he got straight from

Jesus, the one who said, I am the light of the world. And so I just imagine John sitting down with his pen and his parchment. He's getting ready to write down his gospel account. He's got Matthew and Mark and Luke, the other gospels next to him. He's looking at the stuff they said, and he just has this epiphany. Oh my gosh. None of the other boys talked about this. Dude, I better write this stuff down, otherwise 2,000 years from now, a bunch of people on the internet are going to think that God didn't know what he was doing. Maybe that's not what he was thinking. But I believe he was inspired to begin his gospel by going all the way back to the beginning. that's why he starts by saying in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god he'll later tell us that the word he's speaking of is jesus

he says through him all things were made in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind the light of jesus it shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it If you want to read the Bible wisely, remember that Jesus is king. Every page and every passage points to him. And that context is everything. That's what helps us understand what we are actually reading. Now, all of that, I never would have seen or learned if 10 years ago, I didn't make a decision to read the Bible more days than I don't. All of that, I only ever saw because I learned what the goal of reading the Bible,

is. And I found some really helpful guides along the way. And so for you, if you want to experience the power of God in a different way, in a new way in the new year, commit to read the Bible more days than you don't. And if you want to make Bible reading more sustainable, I think one of the best things you can do is make it more enjoyable. So how? First, we've got to know the goal. The goal of Bible reading. It's getting to know Jesus and becoming more like him because he is our king. The whole Bible is all about him, what he has done, and who he wants to shape us into. Second thing, find a guy. And if you're here in church right now, watching this message, this is one of the best things that you can do because every single weekend, our senior pastor

opens up God's word. He guides us to where Jesus can be found in the scriptures. And he teaches us how to apply that truth to our lives so that we can become more like Jesus and our thoughts, our words, and our deeds, find a guide. And in addition to on the weekend, I think it would be really helpful for you to have a guide every day of the week. There's this app. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called the Bible app. We celebrated a milestone earlier this year, kind of a big deal. But in the Bible app, we've got these things called Bible plans. And these plans are meant to give you a guided journey through God's Word, with trusted voices helping you see what God wants you to see. So you can experience the change that God wants you to experience. Right now,

there's going to be a QR code that pops up on the screen that you can scan, and it's going to take you to an article with a handful of really great Bible plans that we think will help you see how Jesus is king. They'll help you understand the context, because the context is what gives meaning to what we are reading. It helps us understand how God has been working from the very beginning to reveal himself to us and invite us to partner with him and his good plans for the world. And one of those plans, my friend Caitlin and I, we actually wrote it. It's called Fully Devoted. It's a series of plans that was written with the sole intent of helping people see Jesus and learn the context. So scan that QR code, find a Bible plan that will help you grow in

your faith every day of the week. And just an extra bonus thing, find some friends to do it with you. Like if you're not in a life group, get in a life group. You version also has this feature called Plans with Friends, where you can literally read plans with your friends, but not just your friends. You can also do it with family. My wife and I are currently reading a Bible plan together every night. And it has been so helpful for both of us to have this time intentionally, drawing closer to God as a couple. The thing about community is that it actually multiplies our joy, and it divides the misery, because we don't have to carry the full weight on our own. Tip number three, refuse to give up. That means if you miss one day, don't miss two.

If the second Friday in January, you realize that you have fallen off the wagon, give back on the wagon and commit to read the Bible more days, days, then you don't. Because our God never gives up on us. Jesus went to death and back to bring us home. And the invitation from Genesis 1 to find rest in him is still being offered. Matthew chapter 11, Jesus says this. He says, come to me. All you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am generous. and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And so, Lord Jesus, I pray that we would all come to you, that we would find rest in you,

that you would give us the discipline, that you would give us the wisdom to do what we know we need to even when we don't feel like it, so we could experience you in a new way, that you could shape us into new people. So this upcoming year would be better than the year that came before. We pray all of this in your name. Amen and amen. So, big thank you, Pastor James. And it's, man, just as a pastor of this church, I'm so thankful to have a man like this speaking into the lives of our students. If your kids are not involved in Switch, man, this is the perfect time to get them involved

to help them grow to become who Jesus wants them to be. All of our churches as we move into a new year, let's move in with an attitude of prayer. Just pray with me. Father, we thank you for your word to us. God, we want to know you through your word. Draw us, God, conform us to your image as we seek you. Church, as you're praying without looking around, I love what Pastor James talked about, that read the word more days than you don't.

My personal philosophy would be, hey, let's go for every day. That is my goal, and that's what I do. But that may be a little lofty for some people, and so a great place to start, and this gives you grace. If you miss one day, don't miss two. If there is one thing that I believe can change the direction of your life, conform you to the image of Christ and help you be everything that God wants you to be, is committing to read His Word more days than you don't.

As you move into a new year at all of our churches, those of you online, I want you to think about it and don't raise your hand, Don't type in the comment section unless you mean it. So give it a moment. Feel the weight of it. And before God, if you're willing to commit to it, let's do it. And then let's honor it. And let's see what God does as we seek them.

All of our churches, those online who say, I do. I want to commit to seek God in his word more days than I don't in 2026. I'm seeking him. Would you lift up your hands right now? Just lift him and say, yes. I commit to be a student of it. His Word. Online, you can type in the comment section. I commit to seek God in His Word. Father, we thank you. That as we do, you're going to speak to us, conform us to the image of Christ. God, help us to know

you more intimately and serve you more faithfully. As you keep praying today at all of our churches, some of you may say, man, I mean, that's like a big thing. I don't even know that I know God personally. Let me tell you what he says about you in His Word. He says, you are faithful. He says, fearfully and wonderfully made. He said he knew you before you were even created in your mother's womb. He says that he has plans for you, plans to bless you and prosper you, not to harm you, but to give you a hope and a future. His word says that he loves you exactly as you are.

His word says, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, Jesus, and whosoever believes in Jesus would not perish but would have eternal life. who is Jesus. Jesus is called the Lamb of God who is slain for the sins of the world. God's word says that all of us, every single one of us, we've sinned. We fall short of God's standard and you know it. You feel the weight of what you've done wrong. And the word of God says that you're saved by grace through faith. Not by your own works. It's a gift from God. who is Jesus, he's the son of God who is perfect in every way, who died on a cross for our sins.

And on the third day, God raised him from the dead so that anyone who surrenders their life to him, your sins would be forgiven and you would be made brand new. As you move into a new year, there are some of you, this is your moment, this is why you're here. Today is the day of your salvation. It's not you try harder, it's you surrender more, surrender to the perfect work of Jesus

as he forgives your sins and makes you new today. All of our churches, those of you who say, I need his grace, I want his forgiveness, I want to know him so I can serve him. We're stepping away from our sin. We're stepping toward the Savior. Jesus, save me, make me new. I give my life to you. That's your prayer. You're ready to know him.

You're ready to serve him. You say, yes, Jesus, save me. I give my life to you. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now. All of our churches, just lift them up and say, yes, Jesus, I surrender to you. All of our churches, as people are saying, yes, I need your grace. online type in the comment section I'm surrendering my life to Jesus and together is the family of

God would you just pray aloud nobody prays alone pray heavenly Father please forgive my sins make me brand new I believe Jesus died for me in my place so I could know you fill me with your spirit teach me with your word conform me to be like Jesus my life is not my own I give it all to you thank you for new life you have mine in Jesus name I pray

hey moving into a new year with new faith new hope and a savior can you give God some praise today