Establishing the Habit of Reading God’s Word
We need to be in God’s Word. His Word is food. His Word nourishes us.
If we’re moms, we know all about the need to eat. Sometimes it feels like we spend almost all day planning meals, shopping for meals, cooking meals, serving meals, and cleaning up after meals. Our husbands and children need to eat. Without food, they would become weak and unhealthy, and eventually die.
Without nourishment from God’s Word, we will be spiritually weak and unhealthy.
Many of us really want to read the Bible but struggle with actually doing it. We know we should read it. We know God speaks to us through His Word. We commit and re-commit to reading our Bibles each day, and then we find ourselves not doing it again.
If you struggle with making the time to spend in God’s Word, you may need to stop and evaluate. What is making it difficult?
- Maybe you don’t have a plan for how to go about reading your Bible. You haven’t decided how or when or where you will read, so it just doesn’t happen.
- Maybe you have unrealistic expectations. You might set big goals and then give up when you can’t accomplish them.
- Maybe you just don’t understand what you’re reading, and as a result, you become frustrated or bored and quit.
- Maybe you don’t know how to study the Bible, so your mind wanders to other things as you read.
- Why do I want or need to read the Bible? (What is my motivation? What is at stake? What is likely to happen if I don’t?)
- What is keeping me from reading the Bible? (Again, be specific!)
- What will I do in order to read the Bible on a regular basis? (What can I do to overcome or remove the obstacles?)
If you need some ideas, especially on ways to deal with the challenges that are discouraging you from reading, go here. Add to your answers any appropriate ideas from this list.
Then use your answers to these questions to help you write down a very specific plan of action. Keep goals small and realistic, but specific enough to be measurable. In other words, write down goals that will be easy for you tell whether you have accomplished them or not. Think about what you will read, when you will read, where you will read, and how you will read your Bible.Here are some examples:
- I will read the New Testament for at least 5 minutes on at least 5 days of the week, and text (a friend’s name) after I have finished each day.
- I will start reading through the Psalms, and I will leave the computer off each day until I have read for 15 minutes.
- I will purchase Carol Ruvolo’s Grace to Stand Firm, Grace to Grow: Light from 1 and 2 Peter, and complete one chapter of the study every week, working on it for at least 15 minutes, 4 evenings a week after the children are in bed. I will also find out if (a friend’s name) would also like to do the study, and ask her to help hold me accountable.
- I will keep my Bible and other study materials in a basket next to the rocking chair, and read through the book of John while I nurse the baby at night.
- I will download an audio version of the Old Testament onto my phone, and listen to it each morning as I get dressed and prepare for the day.
- I will read through all the Gospels by the end of the year, reading one half of a chapter every day at the lunch table with the children.
- I will pray each time before I start to read, asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand what I read, and I will ask my pastor to recommend a good commentary that I can read along with my Bible reading.
- I will commit five minutes a day, five days a week in March, to complete the studies on Psalm 37 on this blog, and I will share what I am learning each day with my children at the lunch table. (A good, friendly place to start if you’re trying to establish a new habit of studying the Bible! We start on March 1!)
Join us starting Friday, March 1, for “31 Days in Psalm 37 for Busy Mamas”. Five minutes a day x 31 days = over 2-1/2 hours studying one chapter of the Bible!
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