Making Time

If we were to meet up with you in one year, and you were looking back over the preceding twelve months, what would have had to happen during that time for you to feel joy and peace about your growth in Bible study and Scripture memorization?

Do you ever find yourself on the couch at 2:00 in the morning, 6 shows deep after a long day? Have you ever lost an entire hour (or two...or three) scrolling on your phone? TV and social media aren't bad in and of themselves, but sometimes a good thing becomes a god-thing that takes over our life. The same can be said of hobbies, work, shopping, and even friends and family.

We want to fit God in somewhere, but we don't make Him a priority. Suddenly, all kinds of time has gone by, and we realize we're doing all the things we don't want to do and not enough of the things we do want to do. 

The Apostle Paul understood this well.

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:15-25a, ESV)

Journaling and Accountability

You are not alone in the fight. And God promises to deliver us from our flesh and give us a new mind and a new heart. Yes, our minds are being renewed daily. 

We have put together a few reflection questions to help you assess where you might be losing time in your schedule and then think about how you might redeem that time. Grab a pen and journal and spend some time thoughtfully going through them. 

To increase the effectiveness of these questions, we'd challenge you to actually journal through them and then also share your answers with someone you trust.

Self-Assess Your Schedule

1. Where do you find yourself losing the most time each day?
2. What are the non-negotiable parts of your daily schedule?
3. If you could see your schedule through new eyes, would you see anything worth cutting out?
4. Is there anything taking up time in your day that you could delegate to someone else?
5. Is there any way you could get creative with your schedule to find new time?

Questions for Personal Reflection

1. Why is studying and memorizing the Bible important to you?
2. What would your ideal daily Bible study habit look like?
3. What is preventing you from consistently walking out this vision?
4. Is committing to this something you desire to do?
5. Who can help hold you accountable to your desired routine?

Hope these help! 

Want to build a strong foundation and solid study skills? Get both in our "How to Study the Bible" course! Click the link to learn more.

Let's Abide,

Jason and Kate