How do I read the Bible
when I have no time?
‘Whoa!’ you say; ‘I don’t have time to read and study the Bible.’
I hear you.
o You’re wrangling small children.
o Or perhaps you’re caring for an aging parent.
o Or both.
o Besides that, when the kids are sick, you can’t even make it to church on Sunday. No time for Bible reading.
o Or you’re working too many hours in the week, taking pre-teens to soccer matches and ballet lessons.
But I suspect that you’d like to read the Bible; yet just reading it doesn’t stick.
Reading Plans?
Most reading plans you’ll find lead you through the entire Bible in a year. That’s 10 chapters per day! You probably need something more manageable. Plowing through the whole Bible in a year just doesn’t sound possible. Or fun. Or even profitable.
I’d like you to discover that reading the Bible is, indeed, possible and profitable. And honestly, reading can be enjoyable. I want to help you to shed your uncertainty or cluelessness or guilt, as you delve into the most-read book in history.
You need a Bible study or reading plan that will fit into your time slot.
What do You do All Day?
As your Bible Granny, I don’t want to scold too much, but I also don’t need to remind you that everyone has 24 hours in their day.
We generally do what we consider important in our waking hours: bathe, brush and floss, prepare meals, clean up after meals, keep our clothes wearable, care for the people in our life, and go to work.
You have to decide how important reading the Bible might be for you. You are reading this blog, so you must at least be interested.
Obviously, you can’t give up any of the things I mentioned above. Finding time means looking at your free time – your “down-time” – and deciding if reading the Bible should perhaps replace a part of your channel-surfing, computer games, other reading, football games, and movies. Even a love of the outdoors can be curbed a little, or you can read your Bible outdoors.
So, Let’s Find Some Time
With the Birds: Get up earlier than anyone else. Be very quiet. Have your tea or coffee already set up with just a push of a button. Know where your Bible, notebook and pens are, so you don’t have to waste time hunting for them.
Before Work: Leave a little early for work. Take your reading notebook (and a print-out of my reading plan) with you. Once in the car, glance over the reading plan; then, listen to your Bible reading as you drive to work. There are many apps. Find a voice to which you like listening. Once you’ve parked your car, jot down in your notebook things that you noticed or that impressed you.
Don’t Burn the Hamburgers: If you cook dinner when no one else is around, you could listen to your reading on a Bible app. This isn’t ideal, because you may get distracted.
Drumming Your Fingers Some More: Maybe you could read your Bible during soccer practice or ballet lessons. I know these are also valuable times to talk with other parents, but it’s worth thinking about.
Relax Before Bed: Turn off the TV and media a bit earlier. It’s better for your sleep pattern anyway. Read and take notes before you go to sleep. Then turn off the light. Maybe you’ll even meditate on what you read during the night.
The PLAN!
Finally, I’ve put together a manageable reading plan for you, one chapter per day. I have read through the Gospel of Luke, day by day, just as you will be doing. It took 24 days, which, with weekends, was one month.
The plan includes:
o Brief (very brief) historical, cultural, and religious info
o A few ideas to watch for as you read
o One verse that might be the key verse for the day
I think you will benefit from this wonderful version of Jesus’s life. And I know how valuable to your life reading the Bible can be.
Check it out. You won’t regret it.