Inconsistent.
If I’m being honest, that’s the word I’d use most often to describe my time spent in God’s Word: inconsistent. I have good and bad days, but I’m not in the Word daily. I want to be, but I’m not. I could give any number of reasons why I’m not, but they all sound like empty excuses.
“I’m busy.” So is everyone else. “I don’t know where to start.” There are plenty of plans on Bible reading apps and in the hymnal. “There isn’t enough time.” There are 24 hours in each day. That’s 1,440 minutes. A short devotion takes what—two or three of those minutes?
I need to be on guard: the devil tries to dampen my desire to be in God’s Word when I fail to be in the Word consistently. He accuses me that I’m not a good enough Christian, that I don’t really love God, that I need to try harder and be better. I should be in God’s Word. Why am I not? And just like that, I feel guilty and obligated to be in the Word, viewing it as a burden rather than a precious privilege.
When we start to view being in God’s Word—or his house for that matter—as an obligation, something that we must do, it becomes all the more difficult to do so.
How much better it is, dear Christian, when we’re encouraged by our brothers and sisters to be in the Word—together. Consistently. Daily. Not due to some “fear of missing out” mentality or peer pressure, but in knowing the joy of sharing precious moments with one another, gathered around what’s most important in life.
As the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1)! And as the writer to the Hebrews encouraged his readers, “Let us . . . not [give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Aside from sharing the good news about Jesus, encouraging our brothers and sisters to remain in the Word is one of the main things we can do. We can support them, just as we know that they will support and encourage us.
Godly encouragement goes a long way. It also goes both ways.
It is no small thing for fellow believers to see one another living out their faith, encouraging and praying for others to keep doing the same, and pointing others to the one who has done all things for us: our Savior, Jesus.
Being part of the family of God comes with responsibility, but it’s one that we share with the whole body of believers. We hold our family members accountable because we love one another and want to see our brothers and sisters in heaven someday.
When we’re doing that, when encouragement is reciprocal and given in love, when forgiveness is shown when family members fail, that helps us view our time spent in God’s Word as a joy and not a burdensome obligation.
After all, time spent in God’s Word is how we grow closer to our Savior Jesus. And that’s a beautiful blessing, dear Christian.
God bless you as you spend time in his Word!
Looking for some inspiration? Listen to the latest Faith Footnotes episode to hear how the members of one church family are encouraging one another to stay in the Word and grow closer to their Savior daily through the daily devotional, 364 Days of Devotion.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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