Commit to reading…God’s Word. Reading and studying are different approaches to God’s Word. Studying is good, because it helps us dig deep and settle in when we might otherwise skip over a detail God wants to reveal to us. However, we can settle in for so long that we cease seeing and accepting the big picture of God’s Word and God’s character. Read for context and connections. If you have trouble focusing, read aloud. Speaking and hearing God’s Word multiplies your experience, and even when you struggle to stay attentive, the spoken Word will cultivate within your life.

If you’re a reader, you might not struggle to set aside time for or focus on reading, but consider how much time you spend reading books and material other than God’s Word. Reading other books and resources isn’t bad in and of itself, but as we fill our minds and hearts with God’s Word, the words we read through difference sources filter through the truthfulness of God’s Word. When our primary source of information is outside God’s Word, even if it is writing and commentary on God’s Word, what we accept as truthfulness can get distorted, which means our filtering system becomes faulty. As we are drawn to what interests us and is consistent with our beliefs, comfort, and preferences, we look for affirmation instead of opening our hearts to the truth that conflicts and challenges us to change and grow.

Commit to reading resources outside God’s Word only as much as you’re willing to commit to God’s Word. It can be a struggle if you’re an avid reader like me who gets lost in books and flies through one book after another. God’s Word is more important, and it—not surprisingly—makes all other reading richer (and poorer!). Setting aside time guidelines isn’t about a legalistic approach to clocking every minute of reading; it’s an invitation into a discipline that reflects a firm commitment of faith. Let’s not just say God is first in our lives. Let’s put Him first.