“When do you spend time with God?”
My intentions are good, but my follow through lacks many times. I am a list maker. My to-do lists start the night before writing time during the day I would block off for completing the task. I begin the list then place it next to my bed so I can add to it as I remember what I forgot. My lists help me keep on task. My busyness overwhelms my mind if I don’t have a list to follow and I forget to do what I thought I should do that day.
“Don’t prioritize your schedule; schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey
I want to spend time with God, but it doesn’t always happen. When my kids were young, my plan would start at 5:30 am. My first failure, I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! I would schedule ‘time with God’ when I would plan to read my Bible using one method or another. I wouldn’t obey my alarm. The bed was so comfy. Sleep alluring. I would drift back to sleep only to be woken by rambunctious boys jumping on the bed. I scheduled my priority, but it wasn’t my priority when it came early in the morning. Fast forward to the empty nest. I still schedule time. I make a plan. I intend to fulfill my goal of fifteen minutes reading the Bible. Then. Then what? I don’t know. Time ticks away with other things I need to do.
There have been times in my life when I read my Bible and can’t get enough. I spend long amounts of time digging into his word. As my writing career has progressed, I spend time digging into God’s Word to use it for teaching. Learning more about the history, definitions, and cross-references take me to more Scripture and knowledge.
Recently I read a devotion asking, “When do you spend time with God to enjoy him?” Enjoy him. Wow. Do I spend time in his Word to enjoy him or to get more information to write, teach, or speak?
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1John 3:1a).
The Bible is meant to transform not just inform. Redirecting our thoughts on why we read our Bible reveals a fresh and new understanding of enjoying our Father. How?
Plan to read at a time that is better for you. There are lots of plans on ‘how’ to read the Bible. Choose one or just go for it and read
as you are led.
- Before opening the Bible, pray. Pray for God to reveal his Word in a fresh and new way.
- Open your Bible with eyes closed and point to a particular place on the page. Read.
- Keep a journal or notebook open beside you. Write the scripture that touches you that day. At the beginning of the next week, reread the scriptures from the week before. List the blessings of having focused on those scriptures.
What works for you? Do you have a way to prioritize time with the Lord reading his Word? Share your story. I would love to hear how you have prioritized time with God.
