How To Find Time To Study The Bible?

A certain preacher knew a family of Christians who had a real nice family Bible which they displayed on their coffee table. This fine Bible was always covered in plastic to keep the dust off. During one visit, he noticed the Bible missing from its usual place. When he questioned them concerning the Bible’s whereabouts (thinking they might be reading out of it for a change) they told of its disastrous end. “No. You see the family dog was left in the house one day by mistake while the family was away for the day. The little dog evidently wishing to find something to do got a hold of the family Bible. He tore the Bible to shreds. We came home and found pieces of the Bible from the front door to the back, upstairs and down, from the bathroom to the living room, on the furniture and under it. It was totally destroyed.” To this story he replied, “It seems to me, your little dog got more good out of the family Bible than you did”.

As in most things you only get out of Bible study what you put into it. God is more impressed with a well-used and worn-out Bible than He is a well-kept, but unused Bible. The apostle Paul gives us the following piece of advice concerning the proper use of our Bibles. “Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed but rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, KJV). If you want the approval of God concerning your Bible, all you must do is use it and use it properly. Just how did the Noble Bereans find time to search the scriptures every day. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11)?

• Redeem the Time

Paul commanded the Ephesian brethren “see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15f). “Redeem” means to buy up for one’s use or benefit. The margin in the American Standard version reads “buying up the opportunity.” Redeeming the time means that we buy up and seize the opportunities that are presented to us. Time is not something you find. Time is something you have already to be used prudently.

The Bible can be read in much less time than you might think. “How much time does it take to read from Genesis to Revelation? If you would read the Bible at a standard pulpit speed (slow enough to be heard and understood), the reading time would be seventy-one hours. If you would break that down into minutes and divide it into 365 days, you could read the entire Bible, cover to cover, in twelve months reading only twelve minutes a day. Is this really too much time to spend reading about God?” (The Almanac of the Christian World, Tyndale House Publishers).

A daily Bible reading schedule may help. After all, the Muslims have divided up the Qur’an into thirty sections for reading the whole book each year. Believe it or not, the whole Bible can be read in twelve months.

If Christians would skip reading a blog or Facebook one hour a day for a week and skip an hour of television watching an hour each day, they could find time to read the Bible each week. It may help to wake up a ten minutes earlier to read or read it right before bed.

• Teach a Bible Class

Nothing can motivate a Christian to study like the need to teach others. If one has the ability to teach, they can begin with the children’s classes. These do not involve intense lessons, but simple ones. If they do not feel they are able to teach, they can team up for a few months with a seasoned teacher and learn how. The church is to develop new teachers and put them to work (2 Tim. 2:2).

• Conduct a Family Devotion

There are many books available to aid in having a weekly Bible study with the family, or even a daily Bible reading. To help get started you can invite the preacher or another experienced couple to join you

• Share the Gospel

As a fisher of men, a Christian must be prepared to catch lost souls from the sea of sin. To get started find someone to work through a Bible Correspondence course or watch the Jule Miller series. The best way to learn is to go with an experienced and skilled personal worker. Think you cannot find someone to begin with. Just invite a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon elders into your home when they come knocking.

• Study While You Eat

Jesus told the Tempter, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” (Matt. 4:4). Man will not live long without physical nourishment and his soul will not grow without the Word. Begin by cultivating a spiritual appetite. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). So, every time you feed your belly, pick up the Bible for a few minutes and feed your soul.

• Listen While You Travel

With the expense of a family meal one can purchase the whole Bible on CD to listen to in the car while they travel to work each day. Better yet they can listen to it over a cell phone or other device by downloading a digital audio copy of the Bible for free from the internet.

• Watch a Bible Program While You Sit

DVDs of Bible books can be found in various translations. Many Bible study lessons can be found online from trustworthy sources. You can have the Bible read to you in many different translations.

• Keep a Bible Handy

Like most things when the Bible is out of sight, it is out of mind. Carry a Bible in your purse or briefcase. Keep a Bible in your car’s glove compartment. Have a digital app of the Bible on a laptop or iPhone or computer pad. Never go on a trip without a Bible. Have one ready to read when you are waiting in the dentist office or when your tires to be rotated. Read it when someone has you on hold.

• Take a Day of Vacation or a day off to just read the Bible

You have had a good Bible Study experience when 1) you have interacted on a personal level with the message of the text; 2) you have learned something new; 3) you have been comforted, encouraged, exhorted, admonished or rebuked; and 4) you have something you must share with someone else.

– Daniel R. Vess