CSB News & Information

5 Tips to Help You Delight in God’s Word in 2017 (Even When Life is Hectic)

The CSB Team 

We all agree that reading the Bible regularly is important. We long to delight in God’s Word, but it can be hard to prioritize it daily when life presses us with long work days, leading a ministry, raising kids, or getting through a tough semester.

Still we know spending time in God’s Word will nourish our faith and restore us during these busy days. Today, we’re suggesting five simple tips for regularly getting time in God’s Word. Maybe one will fit your needs; maybe you’ll find all five to be helpful.

1. Plan a Time and Place to Read the Bible Each Day

This may seem simple, but having a specific plan is a helpful first step. There are a lot of things competing for our time. If we aren’t proactive about scheduling time to spend with God, it’s easy for the daily to-do lists and fires that inevitably pop up to have disproportionate influence on our time. Plan a time each day (even if it’s brief), find a quiet place, and stick to it as best you can.

2. Engage with the Bible Verses You Read

Sometimes the best we can do is the “read-and-run” version of morning devotions. While it’s certainly better than nothing at all, relying on this type of Bible reading is the equivalent of settling for a single sip of luke-warm coffee on the way out the door.

Psalm 1 describes the person whose “delight is in the Lord’s instruction” as meditating on it “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Meditating on God’s Word does take a little bit of planning. We need to plan practices that keep us engaged with the Scriptures as we meditate on them. Depending how your mind works best, this might mean copying out a passage that you refer back to throughout the day, praying through verses out loud on your way to work, journaling about or simply re-thinking through the main points of the passage throughout the day.

3. Listen to God’s Word in the Car

According to the US Census Bureau, the average American commutes 25.4 minutes each way every day. That’s over 4 hours every week or about 212 hours a year. Consider choosing a book of the Bible to listen through over the next few weeks on part of your commute to work, as you’re running errands, or while ferrying your kids from school or their activities.

4. Place Bible Verses Where You Will See Them throughout the Day

While some people like incorporating Scripture passages in their home decor, this doesn’t have to be that fancy. When I was growing up, my family printed off Romans 8, stuck it in a plastic page protector, and taped it to the shower wall. From sleepy morning showers when I could barely keep my eyes open to late night showers weighted down by the day’s struggles, those verses refreshed my tired soul again and again.

What real-world spots do you spend a lot of time looking at? The windowsill above the kitchen sink? The bathroom mirror? The wall behind your desk? The ceiling above your bed? Grab a notecard, copy a verse onto it, and stick it where you’ll see it often.

5. Decide on a Plan

Reading through a plan not only exposes you to a broader range of Scripture—it also means you can spend less time in flipping through the Bible trying to decide what to read and more time actually reading the Bible.

Having a plan is often the first step to consistency. Plus, taking a little time now to choose a plan can save you precious minutes in your daily devotions later.