As we grow in our walk with Christ, knowing God’s word (and seeking it with zeal) is one of the most important things we can do. After all, he’s revealed himself to us in two primary ways: Through his Holy Spirit, which we received as a gift when we became Christians, and in his Word.
This post is the 1th of 15. In each post, I’ll be examining my personal “Top 15″ things leading to successful bible study. This series of posts can be filed under “Making it Happen.”
Click the link to view yesterday’s post on having a dedicated place for bible study.
Making it Happen: My time of day: As I noted in yesterday’s post, the routine of a bible study is incredibly important. And yesterday I only covered half of the issue: the place. The other (and perhaps more important) piece of a successful study routine is a TIME. In today’s world, time is the thing we’re most short of. There are more demands on our time that we will ever be able to fulfill.
I’ve found that the only time I can really commit to anything – including bible study – is the early morning hours. Otherwise, life just tends to get in the way, and the competing priorities can be overwhelming. Additionally, if you really want to reflect Jesus all day, every day … it makes sense to start the day in prayer and in the study of God’s word. [Side Note: Jeff Mangum from the Austin Stone preached a wonderful message on Sunday about the importance of Christians reflecting ALL of Jesus … including his exemplary practice of secluding himself in prayer, study and contemplation. You can find that sermon, Becoming Like All of Christ, on itTunes.]
My weekday looks like this:
5:30 Wake up (4:30 or 5:00 if there’s work to be done before 8AM)
5:32 Start Coffee and Pray – in that order 😉
5:40 Pour coffee and begin study (REAP passages from NLT and The Message; Doctrinal study of same in Baker’s Commentary and Grudem’s Bible Doctrine; Devotional from Valley of Vision*)
6:20 Conclude study; wake up wife with a cup of coffee
When I can stick to that schedule (and I usually can), there is no better way to start the day.
* Stay tuned for more on Valley of Vision – a collection of puritan prayers
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