If you have struggled to keep a routine or to be disciplined in any way then you are not alone.
I believe that at the core of the human experience is this battle to overcome the sinful and slothful within us.
While many humans develop profound methods to achieve great things through grit, self determination, and yes, discipline. The most challenging disciplines of them all might very well be the spiritual disciplines. Why? Because you are not only up against flesh and blood, but the spiritual.
Meditating on God’s word Daily is a discipline of the Christian life that will come with it’s challenges.
Yet, the freedom that we experience when we meditate on the word daily in our lives is profound. When we have the word of God at the tip of our tongue every day to combat the works of the devil and the many challenges of daily life in the modern era. We are equipped to make wise and righteous decisions for ourselves, our families, and the kingdom.
Practical steps to Meditate on the Word Daily
In this modern era there are a million and one ways to go about this. So my first recommendation is not to get overwhelmed. Choose to take baby steps into a bible reading plan for one that allows for you to slowly digest the word daily. A devotional study via the YouVersion Bible App or Our Daily Bread devotionals are helpful for getting started.
Don’t let reading a devotional be the only way in which you digest the scriptures. You may first be intimidated by the scriptures, but that is okay. Simply reading the scriptures on its own is crucial for sparking your curiosity into its meaning and a path for which God works in our hearts. Don’t let the size nor the confusing language intimidate you, but rather let it fuel your curiosity and willingness to seek answers from trusted scholars and biblically based pastors.
Consider a tool such as the Fighter Verses scripture memory plan to memorize scripture. Committing the scripture to memory is a biblical practice for which you will never regret. Having the scriptures hidden in your heart for the spirit to draw upon in your moment of need is invaluable.
Consider journaling what you encounter in the scriptures and take time recording your thoughts about what you read. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just spend time contemplating the scriptures. Ask God to reveal it’s meaning where its challenging to understand or your spirit struggles with.
You may even want to commit to writing down a passage of scripture each day, multiple times a day. Or, you may even want to have a nightly reflection of scriptures you read every night before you sleep.
Contemplate the ways in which you mull over things already in your life and then learn them or remember them? Does it help to develop a tune to what you are studying for memorization? We found scripture lullabies that are for our children to fall asleep to at night and I found myself humming the tunes of the songs all the time. These little simple things took my mind off of fleshly things and focused them on the scriptures.
Keep in mind there are a lot of options but what matters most is the joy in the journey of discovering and spending time with God in his Word. We develop this habit and practice because we love Him. We demonstrate our love for him by keeping his words. John 14:23-24
‘Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. ‘
John 14:23-24
Be blessed as you seek the Lord and learn his word.