How many of us have multiple Bibles in our homes? We’d probably all raise our hands. We are exceedingly blessed with the freedom of Bibles in our homes and plenty of them. God’s Word is precious, but in our abundance, let’s not take it for granted!! There’s many people still praying for Bibles today!
Do you have a Bible you dearly love but it’s well worn and falling apart? We did! A couple months ago we sent off two Bibles to get rebound. Both were in really bad shape. Mine was a soft cover Life Application Bible I got years ago and absolutely loved it! It was soft and easy to page through. I also loved it for the application notes. It was my everyday Bible. I marked, wrote notes and underlined it all up. It became very dear to me! But it was in such poor shape. The cover was so badly worn and pages falling out. I sadly stuck it away several years ago, because it simply doesn’t seem appropriate to dispose of a Bible even if it’s in bad shape!
Jerald also had a Bible he used for years. It’s been his church Bible. The cover was badly peeling, plus he also had a few pages coming out in the back. Every now and then I would mention he ought to get a Bible cover. But he never wanted one. He always said he just don’t like Bible covers.
There’s a place in Virginia that we sent our Bibles to, called One Cut Bindery. They rebind any books or Bibles. And to top it off, it is very reasonably priced. It was around $45 for the largest Bible and even less than that for the smaller one. They offer a variety of colors in leather. I will share their information and pictures of our Bibles.
🪴On Reviving Our Souls🪴
Our private time with God on a daily basis is vital for a flourishing Christian life. Communion with God and daily reading His Word must have first place in our lives. But how do we know if we really are giving God first place, when there’s little faces and countless duties that greet us every morning? What if it’s not doable to get up at an early hour, because your health and sanity depends heavily on sleep? Or your up a lot at night with your baby and every minute of sleep is desperately needed? Can we still give God first place? Where is the balance between our needs and sacrifice for time with God? I’ve often felt guilty for not spending as much time reading my Bible as I used to when I was single. But I’ve concluded, God gave me a family and He knows my heart, and perfectly understands my predicament. Not that I can be sloppy and rarely read my Bible, but that I simply can’t spend a whole hour or two everyday, as I’d like to do. Reading my Bible and praying is something I endeavor to be very diligent in, although it’s not always as long or as uninterrupted as I’d like. Also, as life’s seasons change, my devotional life has shifted as well.
We should be giving our first fruits to God because He deserves our Best! First fruits is not something cheap or free. It costs us something. I like the description given in 2 Samuel 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. Giving God our best will require a sacrifice on our part. We will need to sacrifice something. It may be sleep, some work, relaxing, reading or whatever. Included in giving God our best, is giving Him our best time of the day to read His Word. And a good prayer before we begin reading is, Psalm 119: 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
If you do not spend time with God each day, it is not because you’re too busy, but because you do not care enough about God. Quote from Women at the Cross. This is a challenging thought!
So how much do we truly love God and His Word? If we’re neglecting the Bible, perhaps that really is more of our problem than we like to admit. When we don’t get our Bible read, it sounds better to say I was just too busy, than to say I didn’t have my devotions today because I just don’t enough care about God. Psalm 119 is loaded with verses about keeping and loving God’s law/word/testimonies/statutes/precepts, or something that gives the indication of the Bible. If I counted correctly, all but 6 of the verses mention that. I noticed especially the latter part of it, from verse 97 to the end that there’s many times it’s in the connotation of loving His Word, and a longing to not forget them. Read that Psalm and take note of the writer’s intense love for God’s Word! Is our love for God and His Word that strong?! I hope so!
97- O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 111- Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. 127- Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. 162- I rejoice at thy Word as one that findeth great spoil.
So when is the best time to read and meditate on God’s Word so that we can give Him our best? We’ve probably all heard the first thing in the morning is the most golden time for solitude worship with the Lord. And ideally it is. But if your adjusting to a new baby, struggling with serious fatigue or stress and sleep is crucial, is it still golden? Is it sinful to not read it first thing? Here’s some suggestions:
* There’s no virtue if you get up, plop in the softest chair with your coziest blanket, and try reading your Bible while your still waking up! If your so tired, you nearly fall asleep, choose a different time when you can properly give God your best. Or take a cold shower to get you fully alert!
* If an early morning routine fits your life’s season, that’s wonderful! I like doing it in the morning, but something I need to be on guard against then is that I don’t just rush through it, because I feel pressed by the day’s duties! But God also understands when there’s times it just doesn’t work so well to read and pray as soon as I’m up.
* Or maybe you find a slot of time later in the forenoon, after the morning rush of getting your big people out the door and the younger ones fed, dressed and combed, laundry started etc. There’s been times when that has worked well for me. Especially when I had a small baby and mornings were a bit unpredictable. The catch then is, it takes real discipline! For me anyway. I can so easily slide right into my day’s work and suddenly I remember I did not read my Bible! My daily round of duties that really do need accomplished, can actually be Satan’s tactic for me to forget my time with God!
* Perhaps your best time is after your afternoon nap and the children are still sleeping . You feel refreshed and have a small block of time where you can read your Bible and pray. Or maybe you don’t need naps and you can’t have your devotions while your babies are napping. That too can be a first fruit to God because it’s what works best for you.
* And maybe your one of those who loves to relax in the evening by praying and reading your Bible then. That works too if your not so tired your bout to fall asleep! If you feel it’s your best time for God, then that is fine. In any of these scenarios, we just need to make sure we’re giving God our best time. Not our leftover time.
* And sometimes there’s those unpredictable, emotional and precious weeks of a newborn in the house. God certainly understands when a day slips by and we didn’t have a slot of quiet time with Him. I don’t think it should be often or that we should use that as an excuse, but in reality, it happens. Tiny people are 100% consuming. Here’s some suggestions for those wobbly weeks: *It is ok if you can only read three verses before the baby howls with hunger. God knows your heart and your own hunger for His Word. *Post some Bible verses by your changing table or kitchen sink. Those areas are ‘hot spots’ where you’ll be many times in a day. You can read, meditate and memorize even through the constant care of a newborn. (I still like having verses posted in my kitchen. It helps me memorize and meditate on one specific verse.). *Another idea is to keep an open Bible beside your favorite chair. When you sit down to feed the baby, you can glance over and read or, even as you pass through the room, pause and read a verse or two.
Currently, I do not have a baby, and my health and sleep are much better than they once were. So in that respect, I find a morning devotional working good for me. I have a glider rocker in our bedroom. Beside it I have a cute stand with my Bible and much paraphernalia- my devotional book, tablet, pencils, high lighter, sticky notes and colored pencils right close by. Sticky notes are used for writing meaningful verses, then transferring out to my kitchen sink. In the past I’ve had my spot in the living room. Which is fine too, but I noticed how easy I could get sidetracked if I went out there in the morning! Here’s how I could easily slide. I go out to take a few supplements that are best taken on an empty stomach. Then I’d do a quick check on my phone (I do not keep my phone in our bedroom) then I’d try to quick start my laundry or get sidetracked by something else that I really wanted to do before the children are up, and before I knew it, I’d hear them waking. So then there’s breakfast for them, the day is upon me and I’ve not read my Bible! That is why I started having my devotions in the bedroom. I try not to leave the room until I have read my Bible and prayed. It still doesn’t always happen like that but it is my goal. It helps me to stay disciplined.
Feeding our souls is imperative to a vibrant walk with God! Why should we not give our best to God who gave His very best to us? Give Him your best time of the day too!
How do you as Moms or other busy women manage your devotional time with God?
of windowsills and breezy hills 