Small and Sustainable

“Be good to your servant that I may live and obey your word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” – Psalm 119:17-18. 

Why should I read the Bible? Why is it important for my life today? And how do I go about doing it?

We believe the Bible is the standard for everything we do in life as Christians and we also believe it’s our primary way of forming a deep personal relationship with God. As you read, study, seek direction, and grow, you begin to see God more clearly, and your life changes because of that. Digging into God’s Word is the foundation for a strong, healthy spiritual life.

Maybe you’ve never really read the Bible before, or maybe you’re finding that it’s tough to stay consistent. If so, you may want to start a short daily devotional that helps the Bible become a real and active part of your life, or maybe you want to work towards reading the Bible in a year. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is to start somewhere, even if it is small. Small and sustainable are the objectives if Bible study is new to you.

Small and sustainable is regular, short times reading/studying scripture. Initially, have a 15 minute window; 10 minutes reading the Bible and five minutes for Bible-focused prayer. Initially that may be enough to not threaten your attention span. This takes introspection—knowing your limitations while working to expand them. If you can only concentrate for five minutes, start there. But also work to increase your stamina—start with a prayer for guidance, end with a prayer that reflects on what you’ve read. Pray and ask God to help it sink into your mind and heart. Then repeat it the next day until it becomes a routine.

Once the five-minute sessions become routine and easier, add a couple of minutes. Remember that 10 minutes focused meaningfully on Scripture is better than an hour that’s immediately forgotten. 

A daily devotional time reading and studying the Bible can truly be a life-changing experience. You have every possibility of growing closer to the Lord than ever before as you get to know Him through prayer and the reading of His Word. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you have a daily devotional time with God?
2. What does it mean that he has “hidden God’s Word in his heart”?
3. What can we do this week to start a small and sustainable daily time for reading/studying the Bible?