Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. 1 Timothy 4:13

So how are family devotions going?

Talk about it: What words would you use to describe what you get out of doing family devotions? Take a few minutes to chat.

Did anyone use words like “understanding,” “enjoyment,” “growth,” or “close­ness to God”?

Getting into a habit of Bible study-either as individuals or as a family-is like getting physically fit. Like physical exercise, reading God’s Word regularly produces great results—results that show! And after a while you won’t like the sluggish feeling you get when you take a day or two off.

If you continue your habit of daily prayer and Bible study, what will you look like spiritually one year from today? What will you look like if you don’t spend time developing your faith?

God wants to get you close to him. But one huge reason people can find reading the Bible so grueling is they’ve never learned some simple guidelines for personal study:

• Start small. Make a commitment to spend five minutes a day in Bible study. You’ll usually find you read longer.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand. As you sit down to read, ask God to teach you.

• Use a Bible translation you can understand.

• Start with the clear, basic parts. You don’t have to plow through the Old Testament first. Start with the book of Mark, John, or Romans.

• Keep a notebook and pencil close by. For each section you read, jot notes: What is the main point of this section? What does it teach me about God? What does it tell me about myself? What am I going to do about what I learned?

You can finish by thanking God for what you learned. Pray something like, “Fa­ther, thanks that the Bible gives me patience and encouragement. Please help me not just hear your Word but do it. Amen.”

TALK: What makes it hard to get into God’s Word daily?

PRAY: God, give us the confidence and power to get into your Word every day.

ACT: Renew your commitment as a family to study God’s Word together!

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