When I was a teen I had a difficult time being disciplined in Bible reading. I wanted so badly to be a "good" Christian, but I never seemed to be able to attain that closeness with God. The result was that I drifted from God and ended up causing myself all sorts of heartache before I found him again a few years ago.
So this time around, I needed to become very disciplined in Bible reading and prayer. It was not always easy in the beginning. I was very intimidated by Christians who seemed to have an endless desire to pray and study God's word. It was difficult for me to get into the "groove" because I didn't really have a desire to be disciplined; I just wanted to pray and read my Bible whenever I wanted to.
In the end I forced myself to read two Bible chapters every weekday morning, and spend some time afterwards in prayer and meditation on what I read. It was not easy in the beginning, especially when I started working through some of the drier areas (Leviticus anyone?). But I have finally gotten to the point where I enjoy and crave those morning times with God. I love that I have worked my way through 1/2 of the Bible in so little time. And my relationship with God has been strengthened as a result.
One area where I still struggle is on the weekends. The days are not as structured, and I tend to be so busy that when Monday morning comes I realize the last time I talked to God was on Friday (besides Sunday church). I've come to realize that I've foolishly allowed other things to get in the way of my time with God on the weekends. This quote really gives me some perspective on my life. My weekend is full of a lot of "stuff" which keeps me from my real purpose: my relationship with God. So as a result I've decided to instate a morning prayer time on the weekends which will be more about worship (singing) and prayer than my daily Bible reading.
After all, as this quote says, I'd be a fool not to pursue a relationship with him!
I want to encourage you all to be disciplined in spending time with the Lord as well. Don't worry if it feels "dry" at first, or if it is difficult to begin the habit. You aren't alone there. It is, after all, the Devil's way to play with our minds and keep us from the Lord. But I promise that as you commit, God will show you his commitment as well and you will grow ever deeper in faith as a result.
Wow, I really need to hear this. Thank you for sharing this . Do you have any advice how to memorize scriptures? As you have your daily reading every am with the Lord, do you memorize scriptures or how does this work for you? I am often intimidated with Little Christian who know the bible like the back of their hand.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've been encouraged by this post. Sometimes my posts encourage me as well to get moving in areas of my life. I actually wrote a post last year on memorizing scripture. you will find it here: http://cornerofjoy.blogspot.com/2011/08/putting-verse-into-my-heart.html
DeleteI do try to memorize verses, and I use hand motions to help me do so
Thank you Amy! NEEDED THIS. My weekends are exactly the same as yours were.
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