You are uniquely formed and distinctively gifted, therefore the path that leads you closer to Christ will be unique. That said, none of us are free to completely chart our own course. The Bible has identified a handful of expectations – some call them habits, others call them disciplines – that we cannot ignore. At Christ Church we often talk about five particularly important ones, which are captured by the words: Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve, and Share. In this post I’d like to offer a few ideas about Grow. To be more specific, I want to offer some suggestions for how you can spend 10 minutes a day in Bible reading and 10 minutes a day in prayer.
Adopt a Reading Plan: Starting in Genesis and reading straight through the Bible is better than the “open and point” method – i.e., randomly opening the Bible to a page, pointing to a verse and then assuming that whatever you’re pointing at is God’s message for you today – but I do not recommend either one. Here are some more helpful options:
Plan A: Start with a Gospel (which describes the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Christ). Read through the entire book. When you are finished with one, read one of the other three gospels. When you are done with that, move to one of the Epistles (which describe the significance of what takes place in the Gospels and teach us how to live in light of that).
Plan B: Supplement Plan A with two additional chapters – one from the Book of Psalms and one from the Book of Proverbs. (Note: Because there are 31 Proverbs, just read the Proverb that corresponds with the date).
Plan C: Use the Robert Murray M’Cheyne reading plan. M’Cheyne, a 19th Century Scottish minister, prepared a plan for Bible reading that takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year. [Note: 1) you can find this plan by Googling McCheyne Reading Plan; 2) his plan will require more than 10 minutes a day].
By the way, today’s technology provides you with other options, including apps that will queue up the passage for you to read that morning. There are pros and cons to each plan, just pick one and get started.
Start your Day with Prayer: I think mornings are the best time for Bible Reading and Prayer – and there are a few passages in Scripture that support my preference (e.g., Luke 4:42). Others opt for lunch time or late at night. Whatever time you land on, it’s a great idea to start your day with prayer – to enter it “soul first”. I’ve adopted an early morning prayer I learned from John Stott. It follows:
Good morning, heavenly Father; good morning, Lord Jesus; good morning, Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, I worship you as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world. Holy Spirit, I worship you, Sanctifier of the people of God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.
Start your Reading with Prayer: The goal of Bible reading is not reading, its time with God. To be more specific, it’s time with God that shapes us in ways pleasing to him. We are not after information, what we want is transformation. To that end, start your reading with a prayer. “Heavenly Father, speak to me. Guide me. Holy Spirit, open my eyes today as I seek to learn more about you and become more like Christ.”
End your Reading with Prayer: Any time is a good time to pray, but I find it helpful to pray after my devotional reading. If you’ve not spent much time in prayer, don’t worry. It’s easy to start. At one level, prayer is as simple as talking with God. And there are several models for spending ten minutes in prayer.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer: Jesus gave us a great model to follow in the prayer he taught his disciples. It goes as follows, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.” You can spend ten minutes (or more!) by expanding on each of the six petitions. Or you can simply focus on one for that day.
ACTS. Many people follow the A.C.T.S. format. We start with Adoration of God, move into Confession of our sins. Move from there into Thanksgiving, and then close with Supplication – i.e., listing our concerns / requests.
There are plenty of other options. You can: pray through the Psalms, sit in silence, develop a list of people or items to pray for every day (with a separate list of people you pray for once a week). There is no one right way to pray. Pick a format and jump in.
Prayer and Bible Reading are tools, not rules. They are not ways of manipulating God or instantly growing closer to him. Rather, they are practices that help prepare our hearts for the Spirit of God to transform us from the inside out. As you do this, I pray that he will.