At a recent speaking event, a young vivacious women, approached me. In a hushed tone, she shared, the same quilt ridden dilemma, that I have heard countless times. "I rarely read my bible." And she went on to explain, that when she does take time to read it, she forgets what she read or has a hard time applying the teaching to everyday life.
Boy, can I relate. Been there. Many times.
There have been situations where, when it is time to leave for church, I would find my bible were I set it down, LAST SUNDAY. Oh, the guilt.
I used to say, "When my children get older, I will have time." Well, they got older....and...still the same, sad, song!
I shared with her, through my own mistakes, what works for me.
One day, I went to the local Christian bookstore, plopped right down in the aisle between the devotional bookcase section, and started leafing through the pages of "daily devotionals".
I started with well known authors, whom I had developed a trust, for speaking the truth.
I searched until I found one that suited me.
It had a short daily reading assignment, in the Bible, along with a few paragraphs, by the author, on making the scripture relevant.
The DAILY reading assignment was important, that helped keep me accountable each day of the week.
It was relevant and meaningful. And I started to look forward to reading everyday. Then I would even expand my reading further as I looked up "bonus" scriptures that went with the text.
I also made a promise to myself, that I would not read the newspaper, or any other publication, until I read God's word.
Do I miss days? Yes, I have. But, it is a rare occurrence now that I have my "accountability partner", my daily devotional.
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Hi Sue! It's nice to meet you! I had to make a similar rule for myself - no internet until I've had my quiet time. Incidentally, I blew it today. But I plan to get back on track tomorrow! I saw the pic of your family on your web page. What beautiful kids you have! We always wanted a son named Levi. When it came time to have our son, my Curt broke the news to me that Levi Jones sounded too much like Levi Jeans. I was seriously devastated! Blessings to you, sister!
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing. Sat down in Barnes & Noble and sifted through Bibles until I found the one that "felt right." I think part of it is finding a bible or devotion that you can read, understand, and that speaks to you.
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