EP 196: When You Need a Reset with Your Bible Reading
Inside: Need a reset with your Bible reading? I’m raising my hand too. A little encouragement to simplify and begin again.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Listen to the Podcast (5 minutes):
Maybe summer threw your routines off a bit, or life has just been full, and you’ve realized you haven’t been spending as much time in God’s Word as you’d like.
I’m raising my hand here with you because it’s where I’ve found myself recently.
I had been working through a Bible reading plan, but somewhere along the way it just became too much for me. I had gotten pretty far behind, and I’m not one to try to catch up when that happens—I’ll usually just pick up where I am. But this time, even doing that felt overwhelming. I realized I needed to simplify my plan for this season.
So this fall, I’m reading through the New Testament, along with Psalms and Proverbs, and I’ve also been camping in Ephesians for a while to study it a little more deeply.
I used the Bible Reading Plan Generator to put together a plan that feels much more doable for me right now.
Maybe you need a reset with me. The plan that worked for us in one season doesn’t always work in the next, and that is okay. We can adjust the plan and keep reading. We don’t have to wait until January 1st or a Monday to start a Bible reading plan. We can open our Bibles today and start again. I’ve started a one-year Bible reading plan in October before and didn’t finish it until December of the following year, but it gave me extra days to catch up when I fell behind and grace on the days that didn’t go as I’d planned.
I do think keeping it simple is a huge help: pick a time, pick a place, and pick a plan.
Make sure to find a time that fits your day. Don’t try to work it in where you know it’s going to be a struggle. If early mornings aren’t an option for you, maybe it’s in the afternoon or in the evening before bed. I love starting my day with the Lord before the day gets ahold of me, but that might not work in your season.
We read our Bibles because we’re His children and we want to know our Father. God’s Word is our daily bread, and we need His truth. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). God uses His Word to make us more like Christ.
If you’re struggling to want to be in the Word, I recommend giving John Piper’s book When I Don’t Desire God a read. It’s one I like to revisit to remind me of the joy and delight of spending time with the Lord each day.
Just Begin
If you’re not sure where to begin, choose one book of the Bible and read it slowly. Philippians or James are both great places to start. As you read, you can ask yourself a few simple questions:
- What does this teach me about God?
- What does this show me about myself in relation to God?
- How can I apply what I’ve read to my life today?
Keep a notebook nearby if that helps you, but you don’t need anything elaborate.
If you’re raising your hand with me today, let’s open our Bibles and begin again.
More Encouragement in Homemaking Matters
If you have a copy of Homemaking Matters, Chapter 9, “Daily Devotion and Spiritual Growth,” goes a little deeper into Bible reading, prayer, Scripture memory, and making time with the Lord. You’ll find more encouragement and practical help there.
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