The main goal for a Christian is to have a deep, well connected relationship with Jesus Christ. It sounds so simple but it actually takes a lot of work on our part.
Why is it so difficult to have a strong relationship with Jesus? One reason is life. Life seems to get in the way at times. It starts off small with a meeting after work, a meeting at the school, errands, or a sporting event or practice. Those seem innocent enough, until they take over most of your time. Before you know it, you are running a thousand miles an hour – seven days a week.
One of the first things that is “dropped” due to a hectic schedule is reading our bible. We justify it by praying a little more or telling ourselves “I will read it tonight before I go to sleep.” When nighttime hits, most of us are just too tired to read or fall asleep while reading. This severely limits what we learn, remember, or connect with in the bible.
How can we break the dreaded “hamster wheel of busy?”
Here are 4 steps to take to start reading your bible.
- Decide – Make the decision to spend time with Jesus. If we are not committed to making a relationship work, it will fail once life gets in the way.
- Commit – Make time with Jesus a priority. Any meaningful relationship we have starts by spending time with each other. Jesus is there waiting on us so we have to make the time for Him. Reading our bible is a great way to connect with Jesus and “hear” what He is trying to tell us.
- Protect – We need to spend time with Jesus because we want to not because we have to. In the beginning, you may have to schedule time with Jesus. This is needed so that we can protect this block of time. Before you know it, you will be scheduling around this block of time without realizing it.
- Enjoy – Reading the bible should be joyful. We should be connecting with Jesus and “hearing” from Him through His Word. Try a “through the bible in a year” reading plan to help keep you focused.
Life is going to get difficult at some point. Our relationship with Jesus will determine our actions and emotions when this happens. When it does, we can rely on Jesus to be for us.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Jesus will help us endure the difficulties of life. Reading our bibles is the first step to accepting the help that is being offered.
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