This is an excerpt from HomeLife Magazine.
A mentor of mine once asked me a sobering question: “Does how you spend your time line up with what you say your priorities are?” I had to admit that although I would assert that my relationship with God is my greatest priority in life, I don’t always give God priority treatment, spending time connecting with Him on the pages of Scripture each day.
Sometimes the notion of having a daily time with God in His Word can seem mystical, complicated, confusing, and even overwhelming. Due to this, many of us give up before we’ve even opened our Bibles to read a solitary verse.
But God is longing to meet with us if we will only come to Him with a simple desire to get to know Him better on the pages of Scripture. It doesn’t need to be complicated or lengthy. It doesn’t need to be anything more than a carved-out portion of our day where we obtain our daily dose of perspective and our spiritual food for the day.
To do so, first, we need to treat our time with God as seriously as any other appointment. Each night before going to bed, look over your schedule for the following day and then block out time when you will focus on reading and applying Scripture. Start small. Even planning a 10-to-15-minute time slot will do. Then, make sure you show up.
When we read the bible, we learn.
Karen Ehman
Jump, Jot, Jesus
Try the simple “Jump, Jot, Jesus” method. This is a technique I began when I became a Christian at the age of 16. I still do it today. It’s a straightforward, three-step process that uncomplicates reading and helps you apply God’s Word. (It isn’t an in-depth Bible study, which is important too.)
Step One
Choose a book of the Bible to read and then, starting at the beginning, read just until something jumps out at you — something that you want to remember or want to apply in your life. On some days, you may read an entire page or two. Other days, the very first verse you read may have something in it that seems to leap off the page. Underline or highlight it, or if you prefer not to write in your Bible, record it in a journal.
Step Two
Jot down thoughts about what it is that jumped out at you. I do this in the wide margins of the Bible I use for daily Bible reading, but you could jot it down in a notebook or journal.
Step Three
The final step is to take what you have experienced in your reading time and turn it into a prayer. For example, let’s say in your reading one day, you happen upon James 1:19-21: “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
You might highlight what jumped out, perhaps: “... quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
Then, maybe you would write the following in the wide margin of your Bible or in a journal: When interacting with others, I need to:
• Seek first to listen.
• Be unhurried to speak.
• Be careful not to rush to anger because being angry doesn't accomplish the things of God.
To help drive home the meaning of something you read in God’s Word that day, jot a question to yourself on a sticky note, record a verse you might want to memorize on a note card, or scratch out a key word or two from the verse on a sticky note and then post it where you will see it often, such as on the bathroom mirror, near the kitchen sink, or on the dashboard of your vehicle. You can even get creative and make some phrases — or even an entire verse — using the lock screen on your phone. These will help you to recall throughout the day what it is that you read earlier.
Karen Ehman
After this “Jot” step, we turn to the final “Jesus” step. Write out a simple prayer asking God to help you apply the truths you have read when interacting with others in your life.
When we read the Bible, we learn. However, when we write out the commands in a way that’s personal to us and then turn them into a prayer, we learn to prioritize God’s Word. This will help us the next time we’re faced with a situation where we need to react in a godly manner but find it challenging. By prioritizing time to soak in Scripture, we strengthen our relationship with God and improve all other relationships, as well.
