Many people want to grow and don’t know where to start. Well, here’s a simple answer.
First of all, keeping your attention on the Lord and listening to Him is an all day, every day thing. And whenever you forget or become distracted, go ahead and acknowledge Him again. Simple as that. Keep doing that over and over again. It’s a beautiful thing. Above everything else, this is paramount, because this is how we make our heart available for the Lord to speak to us.
Bible Reading:
What place does Bible reading have in a believers daily routine? Well, to be honest, there’s no formula to this, but does the Lord encourage you to read the Bible? Yes. How often? Well, sometimes your private time with the Lord may just be praying and giving Him thanks. Sometimes your private time with Him may just be meditating. But if you’re not sure when or how often to read your Bible, it’s a good idea to read it every day.
2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) …the prophetic word [the Bible] …which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place…
2 Corinthians 4:16 (NKJV) …the inward man is being renewed day by day.
There’s no rule that says you have to read your Bible at certain times, but because we’re renewing our mind day by day, it’s a good idea to read the Bible every day if you’re not sure. Reading the Bible is a secondhand way to help our mind renewal. It’s not the way God speaks to you directly (He does that by His Spirit, into your mind Eph. 3:16), but the Bible is perfect truth written by our brothers in Christ, which we should take heed to, because it helps our mind renewal.
If you have kids you are still raising, no doubt it is of supreme importance that you set a Bible reading routine for them. They only prioritize what you prioritize for them.
How Much Private Time?:
How long should I spend in private time with the Lord? There’s no set amount of time, but here’s a bit of good advice: if your goal as a believer is truly to acknowledge the Lord and listen to Him all day long, when it comes to your private time with Him, you’ll know when you should be spending private time and you’ll know how long.
DON’T make it your goal to spend a certain allotted time with the Lord every day. Make it your goal to acknowledge Him and meditate on Him all day, every day. Then when it comes to private time, you’ll know when to set time aside.
And in all of this, remember, you don’t read the Bible, go to church, or spend private time with the Lord in order to gain more approval from Him. As a believer, you are as approved by God as you possibly can be; and that is through Jesus alone, not through any of your works. You do these things for one reason alone: so you can get to know how good you already have it through Jesus. That’s why it’s so important. God wants you to understand these things so you can enjoy and walk in what He’s given — not so you can become more qualified in His eyes. Jesus is your qualification, not you.
Reform Church 