Take it off the top

My husband came up with a helpful little analogy. When we receive income we take the tithe off of the top and give it to God. That 10% is given first and then we figure out where the rest will go. When finding time to read God's Word, memorize it, and pray my wise hubby suggested that we should take it off the top as well. In other words, that time gets fit into the schedule first.

It does not have to be the first thing we do each day, but it should be the last thing that gets cut from the schedule. It can be worked in little slots here and there. But IT gets worked in instead of finding time for leisure reading, e-mail, sleep, Facebook, watching a movie, blogging, having the laundry totally caught up, getting the house deep cleaned, working on scrapbooks, or calling a friend. All of those things are good and to be enjoyed fully. But not at the expense of time in the Word and prayer. After all, if the Word and prayer are truly our weapons against the world, the flesh, and the devil, then we should keep them ready for battle. We should be armed and very familiar with our weapons. We want our kids to see first hand (by our lives) that we love and need the Word of God.

Job 23:12b "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread."

A few ways to begin:

Set aside time to read a chapter of scripture per day. It will take less than 5 minutes. Put your bible on the back of the toilet if you must!

Or use Bible Track. It is a daily podcast. You can listen to it online or download it to an MP3 player or your computer. By listening daily (for an average of 30 minutes) you will go through the bible in 1 year (with commentary along the way done by the pastor reading the text). Fold laundry while you listen. We all have laundry to fold! *I don't agree with some important points in his commentary, but a lot of it is helpful.

Memorize 1 verse a month. You could do more of course, but start with something attainable. Print off 10 copies and put it in places that you will see it often. Just read it and repeat it aloud every time you see it. You'll have it memorized before you know it.

Make time for prayer. Make it a habit. When you are driving. When you are in the bathroom. When you have insomnia. When you are nursing. When you are thinking thoughts that you really don't need to be thinking...pray. Pray for your kids. Pray for your husband. Pray for the church throughout the world. Confess your sins and know that you are indeed forgiven! Give thanks to God for all of his wonderful gifts. Again, 5 minutes is better than not ever making time to pray. Start small if needed, but become a woman of prayer.

And, when that is a habit...fit in even more. It is your time. Spend it on the things that matter most.

Take this time off the top and you'll be glad that you did!