10 Disciplines for Developing a Passion for the Word of God
10 Disciplines for Developing a Passion for the Word of God
As I’ve been reading through Elizabeth George’s book Life Management for Busy Women recently, I was encouraged and challenged by chapter two, 10 Disciplines for Developing a Passion for the Word of God.
#1 – Refuse to miss a day
“Make your first discipline a decision to be faithful in just one thing – in spending some portion of your day reading your Bible. Make your first discipline an attempt at not missing a single day. God’s Word is at the heart of a woman – even a busy woman! – who is passionate about her relationship with Him.”
Elizabeth recommends keeping a “Quiet Time Calendar” where the days of the month are lined up in small boxes that you color in when you’ve spent time in the Word on that day. At the end of the month, your goal is to have a solid colored in line.
A word of encouragement: Don’t let missing a day keep you from spending time in the Word today! Each day is a new chance to “get it right” – don’t let yesterday’s “failures” drag you down, but learn from them and be “better” today because of them!
#2 – Pray as you approach God’s Word
“Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word of God to your soul and your spirit.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve approached my quiet time as a task to get done on my to-do list, and I’ve come away empty and discouraged. When I stop to pray before opening my Bible, I am able to get my heart right before God, allowing His Spirit to work in and through me as I spend time in His Word.
#3 – Consume God’s Words in various ways
“I know you’re busy… but do you realize that not [all] Scripture-absorbing activities [requires] your time? They only require your heart and mind.”
There are so many different ways to consume the Word of God throughout the course of a single day. Don’t stop at just reading your Bible, but find other ways to consume the Word: listen to Scripture-based songs, listen to sermons, watch teaching videos, place Scripture throughout your house and meditate on it as you go about your day.
What are some creative ways you can think of to consume God’s Word?
#4 – Find a rhythm or a pattern that fits your lifestyle
“It’s up to you to find the time for reading your Bible that fits your lifestyle. But do find it so that you won’t use a busy life as an excuse…”
Too often, we use our “busy lives” as an excuse for not spending time in the Word. But if we truly stop and reflect, we’ll soon discover that we’ve managed to make time for other pursuits in our “busy lives,” such as our hobbies, our favorite TV shows, spending time online, etc.
How much more important is it to find time to spend in the Word of God!?!
#5 – Be a woman of one Book – the Book
“If you only have time to read one book, make sure that book is the Book, the Bible.”
I read a LOT {if you haven’t noticed}, and I find myself guilty of this too often. I’m far too likely to pick up a book other than the Bible if I have time to sit and read.
While reading other books isn’t wrong, if I’m doing so at the expense of my time in the Word, I need to make some serious shifting of my priorities.
I’ve tried to make it a habit not to pick up another book {or turn on the computer} until I’ve spent time reading the Word of God each day. I’m definitely not where I want to be with this goal, but I’m slowly working towards reaching it consistently.
#6 – Be accountable
“Declare your intentions to those who care for you most and are willing to check up on you and ‘hold your feet to the fire,’ so to speak.”
Accountability is a HUGE factor in my accomplishing anything I set out to do. And when it comes to my spiritual life and growth, accountability is a MUST.
#7 – Beat the family
“What I mean is to aim at getting up before your family gets up.”
I struggle with this one. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I’ve tried {and failed} at HelloMornings multiple times over the course of a few years. I’ve since given up on trying to beat my family up in the mornings.
However, just because I don’t beat them up doesn’t mean that I can’t carve out some quiet time for myself each morning. Our current schedule allows me a small window between breakfast and the start of homeschool {most mornings, assuming we get out of bed at a decent time} when the kids are playing together or watching cartoons. I aim to use this small window for a few minutes alone with God before diving into the chaos of the day.
#8 – Teach your children
“We set aside time so that we may take in God’s Word… but we must also set aside time to ensure that our children do the same!”
I’ve found the best way to do this with Jenny is to make it part of our homeschool routine. Jenny starts each morning off with journaling, and I’ve started incorporating her GrapeVine Studies into her daily journaling via Bible verse copywork and writing out her questions/answers from GrapeVine Studies: Old Testament Basics.
I need to be more intentional about getting David into the Word on a daily basis – he currently gets direct Bible teaching a few days a week between Sundays at church, working on AWANA verses, teachable moments, and Bible-based DVDs and music.
#9 – Purpose to get up
“Surely, any woman with any passion for anything makes sure she gets up to enjoy that passion!”
Do you find it easier to get up on the mornings when you know you’re going to get to experience something that you love and are passionate about? Where does time spent in the Word of God fit into that picture?
For me, though I purpose to spend time each day in the Word of God, it doesn’t drive me out of bed in the mornings. {Though there are mornings when I find myself wishing I’d brought my Bible upstairs with me the night before.}
I want to be that passionate about the Word of God – I want to wake up craving it!
#10 – Aim for more time
“Two good principles for determining the amount of time you spend reading your Bible are: Something is always better than nothing and Always aim for more.”
Start small. Get into the habit of simply opening your Bible on a daily basis, even if you only read one verse. When you’ve established the habit, work on growing your time little by little each day.
Nothing will cause you to burn out quicker than biting off too large a goal on day one {trust me, I’ve been there}.
Start small and be consistent – as you are faithful each day, you’ll find yourself wanting to spend more and more time in the Word!
Which one of these 10 disciplines for developing a passion for the Word of God can you implement today?
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all quotes taken from Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
see where I’m linked up…
Hi, Ashley — I really relate to #5; always half a dozen partially-read books lying around. I’m working on a rhythm as in #4, and have found that “Start small” (#10) is the best way to make any adjustments. Thanks for these!
As an avid reader, #5 is definitely difficult for me. I *want* to want to read the Word more than I do, but so often I would much rather get lost in a good novel. It’s a discipline I need to continue to work on.
I found your blog on http://www.famousbloggers.net/author/ashleypichea as I was looking for ways to create blog “comment community” online. Found your blog and will be adding it to my google reader. It was a nice surprise to see that you are a Christian sister with a heart for ministry.
Welcome to Life by Ashley Pichea! I’m so glad you found this community, and I pray you will be encouraged here.
Hi my name is Ana Paula, I’m from Brazil and I want to express my gratitude for so many precious tips that I think are coming straight from the Throne of God. Your blog is already in my bookmarks toolbar. hugs
Welcome, Ana Paula! I’m so happy that you’ve found my blog, and I pray that you are encouraged as you read my posts.
Love this post! What great tidbits. So, for the next 10 days, I can try a different discipline. Thank you for the ideas!
Let me know how it goes, Dianna! I’m working through each one slowly, trying to get them to “stick” before adding another.
Number 7 is key for me, but it means getting to bed on time, which is one of my–ahem–challenges. For number 3 I made a nice apron I like to wear with a little pocket in front for my iPod. I listen to sermons on podcast while I wash the dishes. Turns a drudgery into a joy for me.
I have failed in all areas and I am praying that God will help me to restart. Thank you for sharing the encouraging steps.
There are several of these that I really need to be better about at this season of my life.
But I wanted to point something out that I rarely see mentioned: I am not a morning person. I have almost ALWAYS been more successful at being consistent with my quiet times when I schedule them AT NIGHT. I found that no matter how much I wanted to or how many times I tried, I never was able to consistently drag myself out of bed early to read my Bible. But I would stay up late to do it.
Reading the Bible is so often considered part of a “morning routine” that sometimes we forget that it doesn’t HAVE to be a morning thing. If you can fight your design or work with your design and accomplish the same thing, it makes much more sense to work with your design! (And no, I never felt like I was missing anything by “not starting my day right.” Praise was typically a part of my mornings – I mean, you can do that in the car or the shower! – just not the actual reading.)
That’s a great point, Rachel. I struggle with my mornings – definitely NOT a morning person!
I’m thinking that perhaps putting a praise & Worship CD in will help me in the mornings. I can spend 20 or so minutes listening while I get laundry moving, by then I’d be awake enough to sit down and read without falling back asleep. Here’s hoping!
I have a praise and worship playlist on my phone, and it’s great for when I need to connect with God but don’t “have time” in the moment to sit down with my Bible and journal. I often use it during dinner-prep when the craziness and chaos can become overwhelming.