If you committed to read the Bible in 90 Days with us this session, you might be cruising along, you might be struggling to keep up or, yes, you might be just about out of steam (or even all out of steam) and just don’t think it would be worth it to continue.
We are about to hit the half-way mark in the reading and I know that if you are way behind that can look very, very daunting. Maybe you are still on the reading for week three. But if you want to do this, if you want this to be the time you read the entire Bible, you still CAN do this.
A few do’s for catching up on reading the Bible in 90 days
Ask for God’s help
I cannot think of any reason why God would tell you not to read the Bible. If that’s what you think you are hearing, though, pray about it some more and think about why God might tell you that. No, this is not a competition with yourself and no it is not just so you can say you’ve done it. You WILL see God move in ways you haven’t before if you do this and listen. And even if you don’t catch half of what the Bible says in this reading, you will catch what He wants you to hear this time.
Once you ask, though, seize the opportunities He shows you. You still have to do the work.
Pray each time you read to hear what He wants you to hear and be able to let the rest go. This is a not a Bible study. It is a read, you’re going to have to let some of it go. He will help you.
Set a goal for getting caught up
Don’t just hope you get caught up one day, set a goal and write it on your calendar. How far behind are you? Can you get caught up in one week? What about in three weeks? Definitely pledge to be caught up by October 20, so you can sail into the last month of reading.
Figure out how to meet that goal
Your reading won’t just get done if you just hope it gets done. How will you do it? Can you schedule two extra 30 or 45 minute reading breaks in the day somewhere? Can you explain the situation to your husband or a friend and get some extra help for a few reading breaks? Can you give yourself a break on cooking and ask your husband to cook or bring home dinner one more night a week until you are caught up?
Grab additional reading time whenever possible.
Even 10 minute increments help.
You are on a mission, and it’s not an easy one. There is no doubt Satan is against you on this.
Take your Bible everywhere, yes, even all over the house and in your car. Take it to meet your friends and read while you wait for them. Read it while in line at the grocery store. Read it while your daughter is in ballet instead of chatting with friends. (Let your friends know about the challenge. I bet they’ll understand.) Get to church early and read before worship. Read while waiting for the oven to preheat. Read while waiting for water to boil. Read while in the bathroom. Read while your kids do their homework. Institute family reading time, even if that just means looking at pictures for your youngest ones, and read then.
Watch your progress
Download the Bible reading bookmarks from the Bible in 90 Days resource page, print them out and check of the reading as you get it done. Do this even if you are reading digitally. Seeing your progress will motivate you.
If you are using an paper Bible, place a sticky note at the end of each day’s reading, each week’s reading or wherever your next goal in reading may be. As you move your Bible reading schedule bookmark closer, you’ll see your progress.
Make sure you are committed
Is reading the entire Bible important to you? If so, commit to reading the whole Bible. If you commit to just reading as much as you can, you won’t read the whole thing. Don’t you want to know all that God wants to share with you?
Talk to God again. Talk about this commitment. Thank Him for the gift of the Bible and let him know you want to open, read and learn from this gift. Make a new commitment to Him and to yourself. And keep it. He will help you if you just ask.
Tomorrow I’ll share a few don’t’s for catching up on reading the Bible in 90 days. I’ve heard a few catch up strategies that typically don’t work. We want you reading every word, not skipping. But I’ll get into that later.
Just focus on the do’s for today and get reading, okay?
I want you to achieve this. And I know you can, if you want to do it.
Can you think of any do’s I’ve missed? Please share in the comments…
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