Time

Was there a time when you woke up earlier to read your Bible? Or did you lie in bed and then look at the clock and say, “I have 15 minutes before I need to get out of bed. I better hurry!” Do you then rush your prayer or read a chapter from the Bible too fast? Do you feel satisfied when you’re done? Not really, right?

“We must not read the Bible in a hurry. We won’t get much of a blessing if we read it fast. You can read the whole Bible from cover to cover. But you may not understand its beauty or deep meaning.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, page 90, adapted. So, take time to read slowly.

We can get many blessings from reading the Bible. But if we read too much too fast, we can miss so much. God gave us the Bible so we can learn more about Him (and ourselves, too). So, we must take time to see the beauty of God and the way He shows His love for us. When we do, we will love Him more. The Bible shows us the history of everything God did for the human family and will continue to do for us. We can hold this history in our hands. But those words don’t do us much good if we don’t take time to read them. We can know God if we read His Word, the Bible ( Acts 17:11 📖 ). Do the things below:

Ask God to fill your heart with love for Him: Ask God to keep His promises in Jeremiah 29:13 and Psalm 37:4 📖 . Invite God to wake you up early in the morning so you can study and pray. Or ask Him to help you make time in your day to do so.

Give your time to God. Yes, you’re busy. You have so many things to do. But time with God is important. Go to a quiet place where you can be alone. Read Psalm 46:10 📖 . Read or sing the words to the hymn “I Surrender [give to Jesus] All [everything].” Think about the parts of your life that you don’t give to Jesus. Offer those parts to God.

Spend time with God, even if you don’t want to. You must make the choice to be healthy. In the same way, you must choose to be close to God in your heart. Don’t give up. Remember, you need to do something for 21 days before it becomes a habit. Also, don’t forget you need the Holy Spirit’s help. We can’t enjoy success without Him.

Read again John 15:1–8 📖 . In these verses, Jesus talks about living in Him. What does this mean? Why is living in Jesus so important for our faith?