My husband and I are admittedly VERY bad at keeping up our devotional routine together. To be completely real with you (this is brutal for me to share), it took us almost 4 years to get through our last devotional ‘New Morning Mercies’ by @paultrippquotes - which is ONE year of daily meditations on the gospel.
So we have reoriented our mornings (yet again) now that we are in a routine in our new place with his new commute/job and with me newly working from home. Dan wakes me up at 7am, halfway through his morning routine (his claim to fame is being “the gentlest alarm clock”), I stumble out of bed while he makes us lattés (most mornings) and one of us preps some light breakfast for us.
In the morning we read 1/2 of the Psalm devotional alongside two passages (we are currently working through ‘Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms’ by @peter_holtvluwer #ChristinthePsalms) and then we both pray together.
In the evening we read 2/2 of the Psalm devotional alongside two passages (there are two devotionals/Psalm in this book which has helped us because our need to read them together keeps us in check to do both) and then one of us prays.
We are only 3 weeks strong with this fresh morning ritual, but it has blessed us both immensely already.
I wrote a post back in February about our “daily bread” and did a poll in my stories asking ‘Do you read your Bible every day?’: 55% of you voted yes (but actually ‘mmyuup totally’) and 45% of you voted no (but actually ‘eeek no I don’t’). So despite ever-changing schedules and life cycles, how do we make Bible reading a part of our daily routine?
Well, I also asked that question in my instagram stories and these are the suggestions you all shared:- After every meal
- Joining a Bible reading challenge
- During quiet/nap time
- Have close friends who keep you accountable daily
- Follow a plan
- Accountability with friends doing a plan
- Being a part of a bible study and squeezing it in whenever you can
- Set an alarm in your phone and make a habit by doing it at the same time every day
- Reading together with someone else and discussing it afterwards and praying
- Personal quiet time first thing in the morning- read in the morning with breakfast and before you go to bed
- Using a bible app with a daily devotional
- Today’s verse and story on YouVersion, then the plans before anything else on your phone
- Reading plans on a bible app
- Commit to reading the whole Bible in a year with a bible reading challenge
- Lay bible open on kitchen island each evening before doing anything else
- Consistently talking with accountability friends/family about what you’ve been reading/meditating on
- Get up before kids for quiet time to delve into the Word
- Make the Bible app the first thing you do on your phone in the morning before any other app
- Substitute reading a book before bed with reading the Bible
- Have it everywhere, on your phone, at the kitchen table, on the counter, by your bed
- If homeschooling involve God’s word in many parts of the day with the kids
- Intentionally put devotions on the top of your daily to do list
- Morning routine of soft lights, make bed, coffee and Bible time
- Daily morning devotions with the kids and reading again after supper
- Wake up earlier than you need to to spend time with the Lord
- Evening when kids are in bed and the house is quiet
- Write a verse on hand when you need to meditate on truth regarding an issue
- Listen to audio Bible during commute to work (try a chronological reading plan)
- Listen to audio Bible while doing dishes
- Use the Dwell app to listen while getting ready for the day on days I can’t read the Bible
- Personal Bible study after 2-3 meals/day
- Read the Bible with kids before bed every night, they remind you when you forget
- Journaling daily alongside Bible reading, look for something that speaks to you and write it down
- Read and journal about the daily readings while listening to relaxing music
*Excuse the repeats, I wanted to share them all with their own personal twists.
We prioritize what we care about. If we’re all really honest with ourselves, it really is that simple.