One of the perks of being retired—well, retired from teaching, but not from writing—is that I can take as little or as much time as I want, or need, to read scripture every day.
Here’s my routine: make coffee, have my eggs and bacon, take my supplements, clean up, go to my favorite chair…
and open my Bible. (My spot is on the couch underneath the painting.)
I like to read large portions of scripture, out loud, with as much expression as possible. I think both seeing and hearing the words helps me concentrate on what I’m reading. And the added expressive reading requires that I correctly comprehend the meaning of the text.
The other day, I read all of Ephesians and was impressed by these thoughts:
- God prepared certain good works for me to do. (That’s you, too.) Verse 2:10
- God is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”3: 20 I keep forgetting this.
- We—not the pastors, nor the missionaries, nor the professionals—are the ones who do the work of ministry to others, both in the church and outside the church. We! Not someone else. 4:11,12
Of course, there is so much more to Ephesians, but these are the texts that stood out in my mind on this particular reading.
The other benefit of reading the entire book (especially one of the letters) is that I keep in mind the over-arching theme and see the main points all in the same reading.
Right now, I’m in the middle of 1Timothy. When I get through Revelation, I’ll start all over again at the beginning.
Do you have routines, too? I’d love to hear.
And one more thing: with Thanksgiving coming up, and Black Friday right afterward, my publisher, Anaiah Press is going to offer a sale on all the books they’ve released in the past two years. That means that my book, High Country Dilemma, will also be on sale starting on Black Friday and continuing through the weekend.
If you like contemporary romance, set in the Colorado Rockies, you’ll love this book. A lovely girl and a hunky firefighter team up to perform in the annual melodrama in an old refurbished opera house. Lots of sweet romance with a redemptive message of God’s love and faithfulness. Safe for teen readers, too.
Stay tuned for more information on this sale.
Have a great day!
Dena
Hi Dena,
Thanks for your excellent post.
I usually have my quiet time while eating breakfast. With a full-time job and caregiving after hours, it’s the best part of my day for reading and praying. I also like to jot down notes on what stands out to me.
God bless,
Susan
Susan, when I was in grad school, I fixed my coffee and oatmeal and sat down in my little dorm room to eat and have my quiet time. This is where I learned that giving God the first part of my day yielded a productive, God-centered day! Have a wonderful day, sweet Susan.