We’re only a few days into the New Year, but that means it’s time for a question you might be dreading: how’s your Bible reading plan going?
Whatever your response, here are a few tips to help encourage you in your reading:
1. Know your “why.” Consistency takes work. What if instead of getting weighed down with the work ahead, we set the scale right by keeping our reasons for reading close at hand.
Take a moment this week to name your “why.”
- Why are you reading through this plan?
- What do you hope to learn and experience?
- Write this down and keep it near or in your Bible. You might even share with a friend and check in every so often.
2. Stop following secret rules. The only rule of reading the Bible is to show up, as best we can. If that means reading first thing in the morning, great! If it means reading during a kid’s soccer practice, on lunch break, or right before bed, also great!
When we cut out preconceived notions about how quiet time should look (ie. perfect calm, instagrammable armchair, and coffee), we can get back to the most important part, engaging with God’s Word.
3. Try a new method. God’s word is multi-faced, just like God. That means there are so many different ways to read it. For example, following a theme throughout the Bible, honing in on a specific book, or even following a church’s selected reading calendar that pairs a psalm with an Old and New Testament reading.
Wherever (and why-ever and whenever) you’re reading, keep at it!
