WANT TO GROW CLOSER TO GOD?

WANT TO GROW CLOSER TO GOD? No other practice has helped me grow closer to God than daily Bible reading and prayer: consistent two-way communication between you and your Heavenly Father. It's not legalism, it's discipleship! Here's an encouragement to build it into your 2025 daily routine…

Spending time cultivating any relationship will grow that relationship. Some days, my Bible reading feels like a profound experience, and other days, not as much. But that daily discipline inches us toward the goal of knowing and experiencing the Father. Just like good physical nutrition everyday for a few months leads to better physical health, so will good spiritual nutrition everyday lead to spiritual growth and health. A tree’s daily growth is small and imperceptible, but year after year it grows taller and its roots go deeper.

If you've never had this habit, or it has lapsed, today is a great day to start!

HOW DO I GET STARTED? Ask God for help. Carve out some consistent time each day. Morning works best, but evening or lunch time can work too. Leave your Bible out in a place you will see it; where you sit often. Even 10 minutes is enough time, and you will never regret spending more! Don't begin with a difficult or obscure book, start in the Gospels, Paul's letters, and/or Old Testament history. Remember, any conversation is two-way communication: listening and speaking. We hear from God through the Bible and speak to him through prayer.

I like to (1) start with a brief prayer asking God to meet with me and teach me, (2) slowly and deliberately read a passage of Scripture, (3) then respond by praying insights from that Scripture back to God. This third practice helps guide our prayer and make it more than a self-focused wishlist of requests.

Did you know that by reading one chapter per day (that's only 5-7 minutes of reading) you can read the entire New Testament in one year? With three chapters a day, you read the whole Bible in a year. Just imagine the beautiful insights and sweet experience of our Father that you will have. So let's do it. Let's use 2025 to abide in him every day!