Confession: I fell asleep during my morning quiet time last week.

I woke up early, made my coffee, sat on the couch with my Bible, and then promptly fell asleep, eventually waking up with a jolt and with the realization that I had accomplished nothing and now needed to get ready for work.

*insert exasperated eyeroll emoji*

Sometimes this is how it goes.

 

If there was one character trait I wish I was better at, it’s self-discipline. I’ve never made it through a full whole 30 eating plan. I’m not one of those people who consistently wakes up early to get in an hour workout. I’ve quit more than a few gyms because I just lost the motivation to go consistently. And I’ve never made it all the way through one of those year-long Bible reading plans.

Man, that felt good to get off my chest.

I’ve realized over the years that I stop doing most of these things for one of two reasons: either I don’t particularly enjoy doing them or I don’t see quick or immediate results. Sometimes it’s both reasons.

But I must remind myself that reading God’s Word is different.

Even if my time in the Word doesn’t feel particularly enjoyable or insightful…

Even if my time in the Word doesn’t produce a quick or immediate change in my life…

It is still so so worth it to regularly invest time in meeting God in his Word.

 

Sometimes it’s hard to set apart time to be in the Word. Sometimes even when you set aside the time to be in the Word, it’s hard to focus [or to stay awake] or to even understand what you’re reading.

So what do you do?

My answers might be annoyingly simple, but I do think that the answers are just that simple.

 

When you don’t feel like reading your Bible is changing you. Trust that “the Word of God is living and active…”

When you feel like you aren’t “getting anything useful” out of your study of the Word… Remember that the Word of God was not primarily written to answer your questions or fix your problems – rather it was written to reveal the very character of God to you.

When you are discouraged and feel like your walk with Jesus and your time in the Word has become stale or stagnant or fruitless… Keep digging in and immersing yourself in the words of God.

When you don’t want to read the Bible… Read it anyway.

When you don’t feel the desire to spend time in the Word…Stop. Take a moment and remind yourself that these are the very words of God.

 

Let me be the first to confess that I often forget these truths. I’ve been in a season lately where making time to read the Word has been difficult and I haven’t always been faithful to prioritize it. But praise God for his continued grace and the strength he provides!

 

Over the next few weeks I’m going to write a series of posts about some practical ways to engage with the Word of God. But I think it’s important to first lay the groundwork for why we read the Word of God.

 

Why do we read God’s Word?

We read the Word of God because it is God’s very revelation of Himself. It is the most tangible, intimate experience of knowing God that we have on this side of heaven.

So if we say that we are believers… if we say that we have founded our lives on the glorious truth that Christ has rescued and redeemed us from our sins… then of course we should gladly seek to know that Jesus more through the Word he has provided for us to know Him by!

How incredible that we have access to the words of God?! How incredible that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word??

Friends, this is a miracle! God’s very words are in this book. What a privilege we have to have access to God in this way.

It is a gift of grace that we should not take lightly.

 

We also read the Word of God because it changes us to make us look more like Jesus.

This likely will not happen immediately. In fact it will likely be a slow process and you might feel like nothing is changing.

But I guarantee you, if you commit to continually spending time in God’s word, you will be changed. From day to day, from month to month, from year to year… God will be faithful to grow you in the knowledge of him through his Word.

What a gift this is!

 

Friends, I challenge you to remember the beauty and power of the Word of God. When mornings feel too early or your eyes feel too heavy or your mind easily wanders… remember the incredible gift of grace it is that the Lord of the universe has given us a book of his Words to grow us and instruct us.

Remember that these words are life.

 

“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” – John 6:68-69