Whitney Standlea has been my guest blogger for the last several GB posts. She has a 3-part series on spiritual growth I know you will benefit from. You can read part one here and part two here. Whitney is a Christian, a wife, and the mother of three little people. She finds herself floundering through this difficult journey called parenting and is thankful for God's grace over each step, jump, and fall along the way. She loves to snuggle with her entire family, plays piano, and enjoys writing (sporadically).
We will use the concepts of “grazing” and “feasting” to explore ways to incorporate the Bible into your daily life. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day is one of the best ways to consume healthy, small portion meals while keeping your metabolism up. This is called grazing. But another wonderful thing is to feast: to sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner and consume all of the most delightful, richest, delicious foods you can find until you are practically sick. Each season in life for us is going to look a little different as to our spiritual eating habits. Some seasons it may be easy to achieve that idea of a “hearty morning breakfast” of studying and reading in the Word for an extended time before the day begins. And we may even find special seasons of days or weeks where we can devote intensified time to a certain topic or book in the Bible. I would call this “feasting.” But every lady I spoke with emphasized that no matter what season you are in, you can always find time to graze! Grazing is simply having a God-centered, Word-centered focus throughout your day and finding ways to sneak in the Word as much as possible. One woman mentioned: “Do not despise the small things!” Here are some suggestions for grazing:
- A pop-up verse or e-mail on your phone
- A Scripture posted in a noticeable place (such as a bathroom mirror)
- A new hymn to memorize each month and sing throughout your day
- Picking one Scripture verse and memorizing and meditating on it all throughout your day
- Seizing down-times throughout the day where your mind can focus on the things of the Lord through prayer, singing, reciting memorized Scripture, or listening to audio of the Word of sermons [These times would include your commute, while nursing a child, mowing the lawn, using the restroom, washing the dishes, or traveling between destinations on the job.]
These types of “grazing” on the Word are ways we can all be intentional about feeding ourselves throughout the day. And the wonderful things about spiritual food intake: You can’t accidentally over eat! No calorie counting here.
Some other great resources for more substantial food intake are listed below:
- Joining a Bible Study. This provides accountability as you seek to finish a lesson and prepare for the next group meeting. If you struggle with sticking to things, this may be a great way to develop your habit of getting in the Word.
- Having a reading plan. These are available from some of the places listed below. You can use one on your phone, computer, or print one to put in your Bible. They come in all shapes and sizes. A mother mentioned that her reading plan chapters come up on her tablet. As she wakes up in the morning she reads what she can before the children are awake and sneaks in more during the day as she has time. Even if she doesn’t read all of it, she just moves on with the plan the next day.
- One of my favorite things to do when I struggle with focusing is to pick one book and copy the entire book. For my quiet time each day I will take the time to hand copy a paragraph in my best cursive writing and read the context around it. I do this until I have finished the entire book.
RESOURCES:
Check these resources out to get in the Word with a reading plan:
Apps:
There are many free apps to access the Bible or Bible reading plans on your phone!
Bible Gatway
ESV Bible
YouVersion
Print Resources:
Macarthur Daily Study Bible (Has a daily Reading Plan in the Bible)
CJ Mahaney’s For the Love of God (Daily devotional based off of the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan)
Precepts Studies These studies walk you through indepth personal Bible study, teaching you the tools you need toe xplore the Word of God for yourself.
Church Bible Studies
Your church likely offers several opportunities for accountability and encouragement surrounding your growth. Check with our church or local seminary for women's Bible studies or one-on-one mentoring and discipleship.
Labels: Guest Blogger