How can i read my bible more consistantly
Wow.
We are already 10 days into the new year. Those dreams, goals, resolutions that we have set are quickly becoming more and more difficult. In fact, if you remember from my sermon on endurance, this coming Friday is known as “Quitter’s Day.”
Don’t quit. Remember: Endurance leads to experiencing excellence.
My hope and prayer is that you continue to want to get BETTER in 2023. God’s got something big for you, but as a reminder, a huge portion of that comes from staying connected to God’s word.
One of the goals that people often set is that they want to read their Bible more. I love that goal because it is one of the most impactful things you could ever do. The problem is we get a week or two into that goal and we run out of steam then suddenly the goal is gone.
I want to give you 3 quick tips to help you read your bible more consistently.
Find your place.
There is power in routine. That doesn’t just mean what you do, it is also where you do it. Get into the habit of doing your connect time in the same spot with the same materials every time. This will begin to condition your mind that once you are in that pace with your cup of coffee, journal, music, candle, whatever it may be, and bible, it’s time to dive into God’s word.
My place? My man-cave desk with a cup of C3 coffee, bible in front of me, with the journal to the right, with atmospheric music playing on Spotify. When I get into that position. I know it's go time.
2. Find your plan.
Like most things in life - failure to plan is planning to fail. You have to go in knowing what you are going to read. Think about it this way…. There are 66 books in the bible. That’s a lot of options. Which one are you going to pick? Not even mentioning the different chapters, verses, portions of those books. Having a reading plan exponentially helps you read more consistently because you take the overwhelming guesswork out of it.
Now what plan should you do: My honest answer? I don’t care. Just do one and follow it until it’s done. It’s kind of like dieting, yes there are a lot of diets, but the problem isn’t which diet to follow, it’s actually following the diet. If you just diet - then you will be more successful! If you just pick a reading plan and do it, you will find success!
Some personal favorites? The Rock reading plan and Quest 52. Both are great options, but there are tons more I could suggest.
3. Find your people.
If you really want to be more successful at reading your Bible consistently, then you have to have people in your life that will help you be more consistent at it. Finding people to do life with and discuss scripture is paramount to success. On one hand you get to have accountability with one another. We all need to get our pants kicked every once in a while because we are slacking right? I know in football, getting through a season was just as much due to others pushing me than myself.
The other, less talked about, reason? It’s really, really fun to talk about scripture with other people. God’s word is ALIVE and it is constantly revealing more insight into who God is and our relationship with him. To share that experience with someone else is a beautiful thing as it unites you two into a conversation that is centered around the design of life which is to acknowledge Christ as our King! The times I have been most enamored with scripture are the same times I was exploring it with someone else. That’s part of the reason that I love this Bible reading challenge for families for the first week of this series. It’s showing us that this isn’t just a book to be read, they are lessons that bring us life.
I sincerely hope that you want to get better by reading scripture this year. I have said it recently, but I do believe that learning is the single most underrated skill in the world today. If that is the case - then learning through the word of God is the single best thing we can do to get better in 2023.
So I am going to challenge you with these questions.
Find your place:
What’s the chair that you want to sit in? What music is playing? Are you in silence? Are you drinking coffee or tea?
Find your plan:
What plan are you going to follow? For this week, the simplest is to follow the Better cards!
Find your people:
Who are you going to talk about scripture with? Is it your family? Friends? Neighbor? Gym-bro? Fellow dog walker?
Do those three things and watch yourself get better.