Don't Read My Blog
Recently I was FaceTiming a friend who has felt overwhelmed by life and a l l t h e t h i n g s lately.
“I’m just finding it hard to find time to read the Word. After working all day and taking care of my kids and my husband, cleaning the house, and having a few minutes to myself, there just isn’t any time left and I’m just so dang exhausted. It seems like I’m always behind on everything and there’s just zero margin in my life,” she said.
Have you been there before?
I know I have.
My friend went on, asking how Bry and I have been, the highs and lows of our current season, travel plans and such.
She also asked me if I’ve read this book, heard that podcast, watched this new Netflix original. She went on to say how much she appreciates my blogs and others that she’s read recently.
I couldn’t help it.
I had to ask.
“Girl, why are you wasting time reading my blog instead of the Word!?!”
It’s no surprise that we have limited time during the day to work with.
Let’s break it down.
With 24 hours in a day, let’s say we spend 8 sleeping (haha!), 10 working/driving, 1 hour cleaning or cooking, 1 hour getting ready in the morning and at night, and 1 hour running errands or taking care of things around the house. That leaves us three hours a day to work with. And for those of you with kids, that number may look closer to 1-2 hours after taking care of everything you have to do for your little people.
So, if we have 1-3 hours of free time on a good day, how we choose to spend every minute is super important.
Are we watching the time tick away as we scroll through Instagram? Are we wasting time binge watching our favorite Netflix original? Or listening to a popular true crime podcast?
Friends, I’m not here to judge.
I’m here to push.
It’s a push for you and for me.
As much as we love to talk about how exhausted we are and how little time we have, I think it’s fair to say that most of us just aren’t that intentional about how we spend our time. What if we changed our perspective and instead of thinking about how much time we don’t have, we look at how we can better use the time we do have? Here are a few ideas. I’d love to hear yours, too!
Listen to the Word on the Bible app in your car on the way to/from work.
Wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier to spend time in the Word (start with 5 minutes and go from there!)
Memorize and repeat one verse a day continuously in your mind while cleaning, cooking, running errands, etc.
Set limits on the social media apps on your phone.
Commit to not listening to a podcast, reading a devotional or a blog (even if they’re about Jesus!!!), watching YouTube or Netflix, getting on Instagram, Facebook, etc. until you’ve spent time in the Word.
Set an alarm every night around the same time to get ready for bed and spend time in the Word.
Where do I start?
Friends, give yourself grace. Don’t focus on how much time you haven’t spent in the Word. Just decide that you’re going to start today. There’s no “right” way to do this, either. Whether you spend 5 minutes or hours in the Word, the Holy Spirit can still work on your heart. The last thing you want to do is begrudgingly spend 30 minutes reading the Bible, complaining and whining about how you’d rather be doing something else. It’s not the amount of time you spend; it’s about the heart position you take while reading it.
Here’s what I know:
The Word will breathe life over you.
The more you read the Word, the more you want to read the Word.
It energizes. Revives. Rejuvenates our souls. It is alive and active! If you aren’t reading it everyday, your soul is literally starving.
You can ask Him for wisdom. And for a hunger for the Word. He will not hold back.
“There’s no other book like the Bible - it’s ALIVE, active, powerful, relevant, full of TRUTH, and is actually MEDICINE for our souls and FOOD that satisfies our appetite. Jesus says in John 8:31-32 (AMP), “If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples. And you will know the truth...and the truth will set you free....” These verses have brought me to a simple conclusion: If we don’t study God’s Word consistently and apply this truth to our lives, we will lack the power we need to mature in Christ and glorify God in this world. -- Joyce Meyer
Start by just reading the Word, even if you only have 5-minute chunks of time. You can do it right now! Maybe start reading HERE and I promise, you won’t be able to stop reading.
Pinky promise me that you’ll only keep reading this post if you’ve already fed your mind with the Word today!
How do you read the bible?
The Bible is different than any other book ever written. It is meant to be applied to our life. Don’t overcomplicate it, though! The Holy Spirit will teach you what you need to learn while you’re reading if you can quiet yourself long enough to hear Him.
As we read the Word, we continually go through this 3-step process:
Observe
Interpret
Apply
I encourage you to approach every passage with childlike eyes, like those that have never read the passage before. Even if it’s the 500th time you’ve read it, it will come to life and hit you in a brand new way every time.
We make observations about what we’re reading, then we interpret what it’s actually trying to say (not what we want it to say), and then we allow the Spirit to teach us about who Jesus is and what it means for our own lives.
Find a version of the Bible that is easy to read. My favorites are The Passion Translation (TPT), English Standard Version (ESV), and the New International Version (NIV). Find a comfy spot in your house and a journal to take notes of what the Spirit is teaching you.
Spend a few minutes in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the truths He has for you in what you’re about to read.
Pick one book of the Bible and work your way through it. Don’t rush this part! I’ve spent weeks before on just one chapter because there’s just so much goodness to chew on. Even if it takes months to get through one book, don’t be in a hurry. Read a little bit, or a lot, every single day.
James 1:22-23 says, “Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life! If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning.” (TPT)
The Bible says that Jesus is the WORD incarnate - in other words, He is the word of God in human form. It also says that we are the living poetry, the living message, of the Word.
So, we are the words living out The Word.
If we aren’t reading His Word, how will we reflect His image and His love? We have to attach ourselves to our lifeline, to the vine. As we abide in Him and chew on the Word, we literally become more like The Word, Jesus.
