Challenges in Everyday Christian Livingनमुना

Daily Bible Reading 

Bible reading or having a quiet time is one of the first principles we are encouraged to do as part of our Christian life journey.  

Being born into a Christian family, memorising scripture and reading passages from scripture is a significant childhood memory of family time. On becoming a teen, it became mandatory to read the Bible individually. Reading the Bible and praying became a routine every day to stay in my parents' good books. In time the whole Bible was completed.

Reading from Genesis to Revelation brought a great sense of joy and accomplishment. In my opinion, I completed the task of reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, once and for all. Surprisingly, my mum asked me to reread it. Disappointed, but with no guts to rebel, I obeyed. Contrary to my expectations, it was exciting and fascinating to read again. From then on, it is my willing choice to read the Bible systematically. The enthusiasm prevails even after reading the whole Bible over sixty-five times. 

Do we understand everything we read? No. Does it always make sense? No. Reading scriptures over the years opens our eyes to see God's truth. God reveals new insights as we diligently seek Him in our Bible reading. The devotions I wrote are what God has shared with me over these years. 

However motivated and excited I may be, it is still a challenge to do it every day. Time is the biggest constraint. It is easy to sleep a few more minutes than getting up earlier to read the Bible. My mantra is to catch up on the missed portion the next day. A non-negotiable goal I set every year is to finish the Bible at least once that year. Some years November and December are spent catching up on days of missed reading.

Some practical tips 

1. Follow different Bible plans. 

2. Find a friend who will keep a tab on your reading.

3. It is diligently reading God's word that's important. Even when we seemingly do not understand, God's word changes our life, and it will eventually make sense.

4. It is better to read in a hurry than not read at all.

5. Believe that reading God's word will change your life and prioritise it.

 Prayer: Lord, show me your truths as I meditate on your word.