As busy as the holidays can be, sometimes it offers us a chance to enjoy a change of routine. Some people get a little break from work or a break from school, and it's a good time to think about our daily routine the rest of the year.
At the beginning of last year, I encouraged my congregation to get into a daily habit of reading the Bible. In fact, a few people challenged themselves to read their way through the entire Bible in 2024--a little at a time. Now I don't know how many of them have followed through with that. That can be a daunting challenge. But I've kept up pretty well. I've flipped back and forth between a few different reading plans.
I really enjoy The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible--that's the one I've used primarily. It takes about a half-an-hour each morning, and there's a selection from the Old Testament, a selection from the New Testament, and something in there from Psalms and Proverbs also. It also has some nice features where it breaks down the important points from that day and how they can be applied.
I ran across another one a few weeks ago--The Bible Recap. I really like this one, too. I just picked up right about where I was with Charles Stanley. It's in chronological order, so I jumps around a bit. But it's very enjoyable. I read the selections from my own Bible, and there's a recap that goes into some details about the daily readings. It also takes about a half-an-hour a day.
There's a lot of different ways you can get into the habit of spending some time in God's Word each day. Set some time aside, and do a little reading. I find first thing in the morning over my coffee works best for me, but maybe for you it's over your lunch hour, or in the evenings. Whatever works for you, make it a habit. And whether you challenge yourself to a Bible reading plan, or simply find a good daily devotion that you enjoy (there's no shortage of those), I think you'll find that quiet time each day will very quickly become time you look forward to each day. In fact, you may find you expand that time each day to include additional prayer, or Bible journaling, or just quiet contemplation and reflection. All of those things are very useful in helping us recenter our life.
We get so busy, it's easy to lose track of those things that are the most important. Make a change this year. Put God in the center of your life, and just maybe you'll discover that God has a lot more for you than you realized in 2025.
~Pastor Todd Creason
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