From Mark
HAPPY NEW YEAR
New hopes? New dreams? New plans? New resolutions?
If you fancy reading the Bible this year (all of it, or just more of it than you normally do) here my a top 4 tips:-
1. Make it achievable.
If your Bible reading is hap-hazard, or sometimes non-existent, start by making it achievable. Aim to build in the habit of regular, daily time in the Word - even if just 5-10 minutes a day. Most of the battle is in getting started. Once you get going, you may well spend more than 5-10 minutes. But work at building the habit first, then you can extend it.
2. Make the Bible visible.
Have you ever found that if a bowl of fresh fruit is on the table, all of a sudden you feel like eating it? That’s because our desires and actions are prompted by what we see. Leave your Bible in a visible spot - your kitchen table, bedside table, or your desk. Seeing it will prompt you to reach for it. If it’s out-of-sight, it will likely be out-of-mind.
3. Have a special Bible-reading spot
One of the greatest obstacles to reading the Bible is distraction. It will be very difficult to read the Bible in a focused way if your phone is in sight, if the dishes or washing are in view, or if you are sitting on the same chair you usually sit on when you watch Netflix. Try having a separate chair in the house just for your Bible reading - a chair you love to sit on, used for nothing else. This will say to your brain: ‘This time is for reading the Bible, and nothing else’.
4. Attach your Bible reading to an existing habit.
Have you already built a daily habit of doing something else? Piggyback your Bible reading onto that existing habit. It doesn’t really matter what it is. It could be listening to the Bible read on an App while catching the train, or reading the Bible over breakfast. The goal is to minimise resistance and maximise the rhythms that are already in place.