If I had only one spiritual habit that I could impress upon you it would be the habit of getting into God's Word daily. Nothing has done more for me personally than the decision to make the Bible my starting place and the reference point for each day. I don't mind telling people that without God's Word I would be crazy! I have about a zillion thoughts flying through my mind that need to be reoriented and renewed according to the truth of God's Word. God's Word brings clarity, confidence, and a deep communion with the Lord.
But where do you start?
Let me give you a couple of suggestions that have helped me over the years really enjoy my Bible.
1. Get a good plan.
For a long time I had good intentions, but no good plan. The result was a series of sporadic success and false starts. Often the only thing missing in turning intention into action is a good plan. By a "good" plan I mean one that works for you and helps you get where you want to get. For me, it's the One Year Bible. I love it! It's about 15 minutes worth of reading and includes Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day. This year I'm doing it for the sixth time. The whole Bible, cover to cover. It just works for me. I love reading God's Word and it's not because I'm more spiritual than anyone else, it's because I found a good plan!
(check out www.youversion.com for free reading plans you can download to your smart phone or tablet or access online)
2. Get a time and a place.
If anyone was ever truly busy with extremely important work it was Jesus, and yet He found a time and a place to be alone with the Father (see Mark 1:35-37). Jesus modeled the importance of finding a time and place. Should we do any less? If the Son of God needed a time and a place I can assure you that we do too. Find somewhere you can meet alone with the Lord, free from distractions. Make it a regular thing, put it on your calendar, and guard it like gold!
Go ahead...do it right now. When is the best time you can give to God? Add it to your schedule and don't let anything or anyone get in the way.
3. Go for quality over quantity.
When I was in high school I wanted so bad to have a great devotion time with God. I'd get up early before school, crack open my Bible, and eventually fight to stay awake. It was horrible! Really. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't focus. I was tired. I felt like I was failing God. Then I discovered a great little devotional called, My Upmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It took me five minutes, and gave me a verse and a thought for the day. It was perfect for where I was at that time, and that five minutes of quality time with God was so much better than the thirty to forty-five minutes I was trying to power through before.
You don't have to start with an hour of prayer and five chapters of Bible reading every day. Start with one verse and a five minute prayer if that's where you are, but make it quality--time where you are still within and connect with your Creator. If you do that consistently, those five minutes will make all the difference and pretty soon they'll turn into ten minutes. Then fifteen. Then a half-hour...You'll love that quality time with the Lord and won't want to miss it.
So...Get a good plan. Get a time and a place. And go for quality over quantity.
Try it this year and watch what happens.
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