You Can’t Life-Hack Your Way to Holiness

“Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” This song was omnipresent in my earliest years of church life, chosen by Sunday-school teachers because of its simple message (and its corresponding motions for fidgety kids). The song presents a general truth: spiritual growth is linked to spiritual sustenance. We receive nourishment from the Scriptures and abide in Christ through prayer. Naturally then, Bible reading and prayer are crucial for spiritual growth.But these practices