Start Reading God’s Word Daily

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. Matthew 12:33

When I bought my house I wanted to plant trees that would produce a harvest. I planted an apple tree in my backyard. It is seventeen years old now and still gives me a beautiful crop every summer.

There is just one problem with my apple tree…I don’t like the apples. They are very tart and a little on the dry side. Each year I share my crop of apples with the birds. They love it.

One summer, my dad suggested that I increase the time I water the tree. He explained to me that the apples were dry simply because I was not giving them enough water. It makes sense. Yet, I never increased the water because I don’t like the fruit.

Sunday night, I used this verse with the teen Bible study I lead. I challenged them to look at their lives. Are they producing good fruit? How would they describe their own fruit? Is it bitter? Or dry? Or sweet and juicy?

How do we get sweet and juicy fruit? We water it with the right amount of water; we soak the soil. We give it all the nutrition it requires to grow.

That’s how it is with us. When we are in God’s Word consistently, we are fed. Taking a drink from the Word every day sustains us all day long. But if we are stingy with feeding our soul, our fruit will become dry and tart causing those around us to make a face.

Each morning God is calling to us. He is eager to see us rise and greet Him. His love for us is so deep and He is hungry to deepen the relationship we have with Him. I believe that each morning Holy Spirit is waiting for us to wake up and start a conversation with Him.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I believe He has a very distinct plan for each of us every day. Those good works are just waiting for us to complete them.

Psalms tells us He will greet us in the morning. If He’s greeting us in the morning, maybe that’s a hint to meet Him there.

I would suggest meeting Him in the morning with His Word and some time for prayer and reflection. I challenged my teens to set their alarms fifteen minutes early. Just fifteen minutes is more than enough time to read a chapter of the Bible and pray. Maybe even jot down their blessings in a blessings journal.

Friends, do you have an extra fifteen minutes to meet the Lord in the morning? Oh, you will not regret it. It might be hard in the beginning. You might find yourself coming up with a million reasons to skip, but fight through those excuses. I know that soon those fifteen minutes may grow to twenty or even thirty minutes.

Where do you start?

I would start with talking to the Lord about it. I would ask Him where He wants you to start.

Each year, the Lord shows me a different reading plan. Sometimes it’s an actual reading plan from the YouVersion Bible app. Sometimes it’s reading a book repeatedly. Or one year, He had me read Acts as though I were going to teach it. That took nearly an entire year. I have read through the Bible in a year, as well as the New Testament in a year.

This year, I actually started the last week of December reading a Psalm a day. I was feeling a stirring in my spirit to read just one Psalm a day to start out 2020. (For me, reading the Psalms feels like going home.) As I was reading the Advent devotional I shared with those of you who have subscribed to newsletter, I felt prompted to start right then and there.

It was in the last paragraph of December 23, “I firmly believe the Holy Spirit is saying, ‘Hey, I see you. I want to spend time with you. Want to meet me in Psalms?'” The following day, I started with Psalm 1.

I’m not sure what I’ll read when I finish all 150 Psalms, but God does. He has a reading plan for me for the remainder of 2020. Like you may have heard me say, walking with God is like being on an adventure. He will show me when it’s time.

If you go before Him and you still don’t know where to start, join me in Psalms. Today, Wednesday, January 8, I read Psalm 16. You could start with Psalm 1 or pick up with Psalm 16 today or Psalm 17 tomorrow.

The Father wants a deeper relationship with you. It’s why He sent His Son. It’s why Holy Spirit lives within us. Take hold of His hand and join Him on the pages of His Word. Start reading God’s Word daily.

I’d love to hear if you are joining me in Psalms or what reading plan you are working through right now. Tell me in the comments below. And if you need an accountability partner, I’m here. Let me know, I’d love to continue to encourage you!