The Life Journal reading plan takes you through the Bible in 365 days. Each day gives you a few chapters, and they come from different parts of Scripture. Most days set an Old Testament reading beside a New Testament reading. Many people also keep a short journal next to the readings, with four headings: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. People shorten that to SOAP. Here is what the days look like, and how the journal fits beside them.
In short
The plan runs 365 days and assigns 2 to 7 chapters a day. The most common day has 4.
It lists 1,448 chapter readings in all, because some chapters come back more than once.
Day 1 is Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Luke 1. Day 365 is Revelation 19 to 22.
On 323 of the 365 days you read from both Testaments. SOAP gives you four short notes to write about one passage.
What is the Life Journal reading plan?
It is a one-year schedule. Each day has a fixed list of chapters, so you never have to choose where to start in the morning. You open the day, read what it lists, and close it. The plan does not take you through the books in order from Genesis to Revelation. It moves through both Testaments at the same time.
The name points to the second half of the practice. The plan expects you to write something after you read. It doesn't have to be a long essay. Write down a verse you noticed, a sentence about it, a sentence about your own day, and a short prayer. That is the SOAP pattern, and we come back to it below.
Christians use many yearly plans. Some go straight through the Bible, some follow the order of events, and some mix the Testaments like this one. For a wider look, see what each day looks like in a Bible in a year plan. The Life Journal plan is one good shape among several, not the only right one.
How many chapters does each day ask for?
Days range from 2 chapters to 7. The most common count is 4. The plan has 1,448 chapter readings over 365 days. Divide one by the other and you get a little under 4 chapters a day on average, which matches the most common count.
Chapters vary in length, so a 4-chapter day won't always take the same amount of time. A day of short psalms can go faster than a day with two long chapters of history. Expect some mornings to feel light and some to feel full. For more on turning chapter counts into a schedule, see how many chapters a day to read the Bible in a year.
The first and last days show the shape of the whole plan.
| Day | Readings | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Luke 1 | 3 |
| 365 | Revelation 19, Revelation 20, Revelation 21, Revelation 22 | 4 |
The first and last days of the Life Journal plan
Day 1 opens with creation in Genesis and the start of Luke's Gospel. Day 365 closes with the last four chapters of Revelation. You start with two beginnings and end with the Bible's final pages.
Why do Old and New Testament readings sit together?
On 323 of the 365 days, you read from both Testaments. That leaves 42 days that stay inside one Testament. Most of the time, though, you follow two threads at once: a long Old Testament story and a slower walk through the New.
This helps in practical ways. Long stretches of law, family lists, or prophecy can feel heavy when you read them alone. A chapter from a Gospel or a letter on the same day changes the pace. It also lets you notice echoes. Genesis 1 and Luke 1 both open with a beginning, and reading them on the same morning invites you to compare them.
You don't need to find a link between the two readings every day. Some days they will feel unrelated, and that's fine. Read each one on its own terms first.
How does SOAP journaling go with the readings?
SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. You don't write about every chapter. You pick one verse or short passage from the day's reading and write four short notes about it.
- Scripture. Copy out the verse that caught your attention, with its reference.
- Observation. Write what the verse says in its setting. Who speaks, to whom, and what is happening around it?
- Application. Write one way the verse touches your own life today. Keep it small and concrete.
- Prayer. Write a few lines of prayer that come out of what you read.
Joshua 1:8 makes a good example. In Joshua 1:1-2, God speaks to Joshua as he takes over from Moses. In verse 8, God tells him to keep the Book of the Law on his lips, to meditate on it day and night, and to take care to do what it says.
8This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Your observation might note that the verse ties reading, thinking, and doing together in one sentence. Your application should stay honest about the setting. The promise of success belongs to Joshua's calling as he leads Israel into the land. It doesn't guarantee that a reading plan will make your own plans go well. What carries over is the pattern: let the words stay with you and shape what you do. The SOAP Bible study method goes through each step in more detail.
How do you start, and what if you fall behind?
Start on Day 1, whatever the date. The plan works the same whether you begin in January or October. Read Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Luke 1, then pick one verse for your journal. That first day may take less time than you expect.
Give the reading a fixed place in your day. Morning works for many people, but any time you can keep is a good time. If 4 chapters feel like a lot at first, read them all and write about only one. The journal is usually the part that slips, so keep it short enough that you'll come back to it tomorrow.
Missing a day is normal. When you come back, read the next day on the list. Don't try to make up everything at once. What to do when you fall behind on a reading plan covers a few ways to pick the thread back up. A late finish still brings you to Revelation 22.
