How To Make Time For The Bible

Good Housekeeping. Family Circle. Ladies Home Journal.

In the days before Pinterest and even the Internet, magazines were my windows to the world. I poured over them for recipes, parenting advice, and the latest decorating and fashion trends. As a young mom I sought refuge in their pages when I was tired, bored, or wanting to know about life outside my little corner of the world.

Magazines are what I’d most likely splurge money on. I read them cover to cover, clipped coupons, and filed favorite articles for craft and decorating resources.

One day, as I wrestled with a growing desire to know more about God, I realized I needed more time to read my Bible.

But my small children demanded my attention for all the minutes they were awake.

So, I made a hard decision.

I gave up my magazines to make time for my Bible.

And I’ve never looked back.

For every single one of us, a similar decision lingers.

In our 24/7 entertainment-saturated, never-on-pause culture, we can convince ourselves the choices are too hard. That there’s no way to actually say no to all the things that beckon us. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to put down a phone, stop staring at social media, ignore popular TV shows (“I’ll be the only one who hasn’t seen it!”) or safeguard my to-do list.

But when I take responsibility for my time and decide to invest in the best over the good, the returns are astronomical.

When I said no to magazines, I said yes to time for Bible reading that allowed me to embark on a journey of finding God in the Scriptures.

In Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy I visited a world I’d never seen before. Nothing I’d ever read in a magazine could compare with real-life stories of God leading the patriarchs, adventuring with them, and transforming their lives.

In the rest of the Old Testament I found the accounts of leaders, kings, and prophets more riveting than any celebrity article I’d ever read.

The book of Psalms gave me  a voice for all my feelings, and in Proverbs I discovered profound wisdom for my everyday life.

In the New Testament I explored my identity as a child of God. Instead of clipping coupons, I took copious notes about who God is and how He wants me to live my life.

At first it was hard saying no to my beloved magazines. Especially when TV personalities smiled at me from the covers while I stood in grocery store check-out lines. But over time I grew so fond of my Bible, magazines no longer beckoned me.

How to make time for the Bible

Making time for the Bible isn’t always easy, but it’s always do-able.

Don’t look at the hours in your week. Instead, take a look at the minutes in your days. What can you choose to do differently to make room for opening your Bible and getting lost in its stories and truths?

Of all the good decisions I’ve made in my life, making the choice to give up something good (magazines) for something better (my Bible) is probably the greatest single decision I’ve ever made. It catapulted me into  decades of loving and pursuing the Author of the Bible and became a compass for both my future and my everyday life.

If you’re not sure how to begin, here are some tips for how to start reading your Bible.

…Since I love Your commands more than gold, even the purest gold.

Psalm 119:127,  HCSB

I will never forget Your precepts, for You have given me life through them.

Psalm 119:93,  HCSB