Written by Valerie Cleveland
Ditch the cell phone on the nightstand
Some argue the first few minutes are key for setting the tone of the entire day. So, ditch the easily-accessible cell phone, move it to a dresser or other spot in the bedroom, and use that space on the nightstand for your Bible. Buy a digital alarm clock if you need something for clock purposes. Even if you don’t read your Bible the second you wake up (as some of us require a cup of coffee before being able to function that well) at least you can grab it, not your cell phone, on your way to the Keurig.
Don’t Let the Kids Stop You
Many people see kids as a hindrance to their Bible time. We can’t read until our kids are perfectly content, that way our reading will be interruption-free, right? WRONG. Is anything in this life really interruption-free? So rather than wait to read when they aren’t around, read to them. Incorporate them into this very important habit you are trying to form. Breakfast or dinner are perfect times. You’ll be amazed how much more you will glean personally as you read aloud and simplify the text for your children.
Read with Your Ears
Many people have found audio Bibles to be extremely helpful for getting God’s Word into their hearts throughout the day. Don’t act as though the 10 minutes of doing your makeup or 20-minute commute has to be wasted time; but rather fill it with Scripture even as you accomplish another task.
Employees, Use your Lunch Break
What better time to revamp your day by filling your stomach with food and your mind with the Bread of Life at the same time. Use a Bible app on your phone if it’s not convenient to keep one at work. With enough consistency, God may even use you to pique the interest of others in your workplace and open up doors for sharing the Gospel.
Evaluate your Perspective
As I hinted at earlier, many of us don’t approach Bible time often, if at all, because we have the wrong perspective about how it should look. If it doesn’t look long, scholarly, or uninterrupted then what’s the point? The real point is, God can and does use his Word to sanctify his people; we need only to be in it. There are no hard and fast rules about how long, how intense, or how many notes you take. Only that we “lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…” Deut 11:18. Of course, we should strive for a consistent and thorough time each day in the Scriptures, but exactly how that looks and how it’s done is far less important than the fact that it is actually being done.
Pray, make time, don’t get upset at the interruptions, don’t spend too much time comparing, and just get in the Word. Use an app, use an actual Bible, find a commentary, or discuss as a family. Do it early, do it late. Commit to 10 minutes, commit to 30, but most importantly…
just start.
Today.