Bible Study Tips for the Busy Christian

I always have people tell me they struggle with consistent Bible study because of the busyness of their weekdays.

I'm a very busy person, and I understand the struggle, honestly. But lately, I stopped fighting to have one rigid Bible study plan that's hard to follow or commit to in my busy and noisy weekdays, but rather adopted various methods and plans in the day that each do not take a long time to accomplish. It turns out that my Bible reading/study life has been a lot more productive and consistent than when I waited to follow one rigid and specific plan.

Below are a few things that can help you to get the word weaved into every part of your everyday.

1. Read a Few Chapters of the Epistles at the Start of Your Day.

It takes about 20-30 minutes only to read through 3-4 chapters of the New Testament epistles. That's less the time one spends sometimes scrolling through feeds on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp in one sitting. You know, the Apostles' letters were written for you, and it’s important to read them over and over. In them you find out who Jesus is, who you are in Christ, your purpose for living, etc. The epistles may be tough to understand sometimes, but the more you read them, the more you understand them and the more you can apply the word in them to your everyday living. What's more? If you do this everyday, you would have gone through more than half of the New Testament almost 8 times in one year. How neat is that?

2. Use Audio Bible to Listen to the Bible from Start to Finish.

You can call this Bible-on-the-go. I use the audio Bible in my phone to go through the entire Bible, and that's apart from my other Bible plans. It's easy to do, so why not? You can do this on your commute to and from work, while doing house chores or gardening, in the bathroom as you prepare for work, etc. which means you need not carve out special time for it. It's of course not as effective as reading or studying the Bible, but it's better than listening to unedifying stuff and it definitely counts.

3. Make Use of Simple Bible Reading Plans Before Bed.

There are several options for Bible Reading Plans online. YouVersion app offers some reading plans that take only about 10-15 minutes to complete per day --- again, way way less time than you spend on Netflix, gisting/chatting with friends, or scrolling through your phone. You can get Bible reading plans for all the books of the Bible here on this website. Retire early enough to get the word into you every night. It's worth it.

4. Carve Out Quality Time in the Weekends or on Your Off-Days for In-Depth Bible Study.

If the reason you don't spend time in quality Bible study everyday is work, then use your off days to do some quality study. While consistent Bible reading is great, there is much value in in-depth studies; because it's in deep studying that you find rare treasures in God's word. Schedule your Bible Study time as part of your activities in the weekends; you won't regret it. Find some great Bible study plans here on this website. Of course, you can use several other free resources online.

5. Read 1-2 Chapters of Books from Bible Teachers When Waiting On Queues or Before Bed.

When I have books to finish and I don't have much time per day, sometimes, I'd read a chapter or two of the book right before bed instead of following my night Bible reading plan. So, even though I'm not reading the Bible directly at that time, I'm still learning from the Word. E-books are great to read during long bathroom breaks or when waiting on queues.

I hope this helps to improve your time with the word.

Nourish Your Spirit