This morning as I was browsing through facebook feeds, I noticed something disturbing.
A Bible-study teacher that is well known and respected (by me as well) posed the following question, “What are the top 3 reasons why a Christian does not commit one hour a day to studying their Bible?”.
Seems like a simple enough question, right?
It does at face value. But I am quite distrubed by the answers that were given by the commenters.
Answers like….
…they’re lazy
…they don’t have their priorities straight
…they don’t treasure the Bible
…they’re sinful
…they’re selfish
…they’re not in love with Jesus
…they’re ignorant
…they’re apathetic
….they’re worldly
And, believe me, this list can go on and on. In fact, it did, I’m just not sharing it all right here.
Wow! Do you hear the judgement and the condemnation in these responses?
It is distrubing to me that we, as Christians, are so judgemental of one another and are so quick to condemn in our own pridefulness.
In thinking about this question, I am first struck by the time limit that is specifically referenced, “one hour a day”. I cannot think of one single place in scripture where we are told to study our Bibles for “one hour a day”. Nope, not a single one.
Now, that’s not saying that I don’t think it would be good to do just that….to study our Bibles for that length of time on a daily basis. The rewards from such study would be immeasureable.
But at the same time, not committing to study our Bibles for that specified lenth of time and frequency does not mean that we are lazy, prideful, sinful, or ignorant.
It may mean that we are secure in our faith.
That we don’t rely on man-made demands, rules, and regulations for our salvation or to experience a fulfilling relationship with Christ.
The concern that I have is that our churches and teachers seem to go one way or another. Either they are condemning those that are sincerely trying to live for Christ but cannot and do not live up to their own expectations and demands or they are throwing it all out in order to appeal to the masses.
Yes, it is important to study God’s word. Personally, I would love to be able to commit to study my Bible for an hour a day. I truly would. But I also have to be honest with you and say that’s not happening right now, nor do I see it happening. At this time in my life when I have three small children in my home that I have been entrusted to by God to train up, an hour of study is not feasible.
I could send them to public school and enroll them in day care and I would easily have more time.
I could attempt to study as I have before and be a total crabby mom when my little ones interrupt with a need, want, or desire of their own and resent that I have to put aside my study to care for them.
Or I can live each day in God’s grace, striving to read and apply His word to my life as I am teaching and training the ones he has given me to care for, and cherishing whatever moments I can have to study it, whether it be an hour or just fifteen precious minutes.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you agree that if a Christian does not commit to study their Bible for an hour a day that they are lazy, prideful, sinful, ignorant, or have their priorities out of whack? Are you able to commit and follow through with such a committment? How does Bible study fit into your day?
Shanna says
Amen, Monica! I completely agree. For a long time I felt guilty because I don’t conform to the notion of “quiet time”. After struggling with quiet times that never found a routine, I realized that is a man-made expectation. Christians have not always had the physical Scriptures in hand to study at their disposal, but they still lived a life of faith. While I don’t take for granted that privilege I have today to study the Word, I refuse to be pigeon-holed into a structured time. Some days I read whole books of the Bible in one sitting, and other days I don’t pick it up. You can study God’s word until you are blue in the face, but if you don’t serve your family with joy, love your neighbor, and strive to walk the walk….then something was lost. It is incredibly sad the judgment that Christians bestow on each other. We so easily forget that we don’t know another’s heart.
homegrownstrawberries says
Way to go! And yes an hour a day doesn’t happen. In my Sunday school class we were recently talking about this. You know really an hour a day is too little. We need to “Breathe Grace.” It needs to be a constant part of our day and our thinking, we are told to mediate upon the Scripture and to cry out to God day and night. You can’t just take a breath in the morning and hold it all day even if you spend an hour breathing deeply its still not going to last you. No setting aside an hour a day to study the bible is not Required and if you do you are not a better christian that someone who only does 15 mins or someone who only does it 5 days a week. The Christian life is about a relationship not a lesson plan.
Kristi_runwatch says
That is such a tricky subject – you’re right, we tend to fall on one extreme or the other in our approach! I think sometimes we underestimate the centrality of the Word of God to a thriving spiritual walk – more than being familiar with it in our heads or reading it as a routine or studying it as an academic exercise, but truly KNOWING God’s Word. As soon as we mandate a time limit or time of day or anything like that we fall quickly into legalism. BUT, there is no doubt about it that it should be a HIGH priority to find time in God’s Word – and we need to be sensitive and open to the Spirit to how and when we do that.
I always find it interesting that in Deuteronomy the kings of Israel are commanded to write their OWN copy of the law and read it EVERY day. They were supposed to be intimately acquainted with the law. When Joshua says “do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth, but meditate on it day and night,” it carries the idea of constantely speaking it to ourselves under our breath in order to memorize it and allow it to sink deeply into our hearts. In Jesus’ day, boys who were educated at the temple would have memorized all of the books of Moses – if they were called to further study with a rabbi, they would follow the rabbi around and memorize all of HIS teachings, too!
I think in many ways the idea of a daily quiet time has been damaging because we feel like we have “done enough” if we have some sort of time in the Word every day. I think by doing that we really reduce and simplify what it means to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.”
And no, there is no way I can study an hour each day. [and I have NEVER been able to have time with God first thing in the morning – I am not a morning person, it just doesn’t work for me, and I often feel judged by “morning-only” quiet time people!] Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn’t – but I know that when I give time the little bits of time I have, He uses it and blesses it… and meditating on the Scripture I have studied and read is something that can happen while I’m doing dishes, scrubbing a tub, making dinner, or rocking a baby! 🙂
Erin @ Closing Time says
I definitely agree with you! As a mom of little ones too, I struggle to find my quiet time with the Lord. I absolutely believe that studying the Word is a vital part of our Christian walk. That said, I don’t necessarily think there is a magic formula of one hour per day that we are all supposed to follow. I believe we all need to spend time focused on the Lord, in prayer, and in Bible study. However, this may look one way for one person, and completely different for someone else. People learn differently and process things differently. God made each of us unique. What may be the very best way to study the Bible for one person, perhaps sitting at a desk in study for one hour, might not yield the same fruit in another person’s life. Another person might benefit more from reading a verse or two and then going for a walk and meditating on what they have read. As a mom, I may read a verse and then pray while washing the dishes.
I hesitate to say this, because some may be offended, but I believe this to be the truth. Spending an hour in Bible study doesn’t mean a person has necessarily have drawn closer to God or grown in their Christian walk. It should, but that may or may not be the case. It truly depends on a person’s heart, and only God knows the heart. The example I am thinking of is the Pharisees. They knew the Scriptures better than anyone, but Jesus called them a brood of vipers.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am absolutely all for Bible study, but I think it’s easy for people to say there is a certain time you have to spend and then you’ve completed your task. I just don’t agree with that reasoning. That can become just a religious ritual if our hearts are not in the right place, or if we begin to think our holiness comes from our works rather than our faith.
For moms of little ones, I know that the Lord see us and understands this season of life we are in. I believe He gives great grace, and that we can grow in our relationships with Him greatly during these years when so much of our time is devoted to training our small children. I believe He will honor the time we spend at home with our children.
Thanks for writing this post. It is something we all need to think about!
Nancy M. says
I don’t think it’s something that you have to do, but definitely something that would be worthwhile. Perhaps in another season of life we could. It is harder to sit down and study like I would like with a toddler. I know there is always room for improvement!
Uma says
I’m not a Christian, so I can’t comment on an hour a day issue, even though I can relate to all or nothing factor. I’ve been told many times that because I’m not a Christian, even though I’m a very good person with wonderful moral values that I’m passing on to my child, I will go to hell. The aspect of “join our team or else” of some very judgmental so-called Christians have turned me off from even trying to have an open dialogue with them. The message of tolerance and acceptance of others are ones that I hope more people of all religions would spread.
Jennifer Scruggs says
Monica– What a great discussion point! We as Christians get so caught up in pointing out the speck in our brother’s eye that we neglect to notice the plank in our own. All those commenters might have been confessing their own struggles with making the study of God’s Word a priority. I agree, the question could have been phrased better, but I appreciate the point made. We can NEVER get “enough” of God’s Word! I also agree with the ladies commenting on your blog– if we study and have knowledge but don’t live it out in love, then we are a resounding gong and clanging symbol– and a stumbling block to sweet people like Uma, when we are supposed to be the aroma of Christ– a sweet fragrance that DRAWS people to relationship with Him. I must tell you that I can “smell” you, Monica, all the way across the ocean!!! You OOZE Jesus– in the beautiful way you prioritze your family, and how passionately you LOVE your Lord. 🙂 I love your guts!!!!
Sheila says
I remember as a young mother trying to read and study the word dutifully.Then feeling guilty when I failed to meet some standard I felt I should meet.Often times just giving up and quiting the guilt would be so strong never understanding that God loved me the same if I read for five min.s as much as one hour .Now I’m a grandmother and I still just don’t have time to sit read and study as I should.If man is’nt judging us we’re doing it to ourselves .I’m glad that you started this discussion.It is very important that we read and study God’s Holy word.Now what I understand in this stage of my life is it’s not important what man thinks of me only that God know’s my heart and to me that’s what counts.Sure this preacher wants us to feel guilty or feel like something is wrong with us.My Bible say’s there is no comdemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.Let’s help each other not judge and condemn.Love alway’s !!!
Muthering Heights says
Goodness gracious! I wish I had an hour a day to commit to Bible study, but like you, I just don’t! Perhaps in another season of life…
LifeAtTheCircus says
Wow! This was a great post and really seemed to spark some discussion! I agree with you. I don’t think there is some magic formula for time with God. The idea of “an hour with God each day” seems more like checking a box than truly seeking out time with our Father. And the judgmental attitudes you shared from the responses are truly saddening.
Personally I do not spend an hour with God each day. I will confess in honesty though, that while I don’t think a certain allotment of time each day is what God necessarily desires, I do know that I have not made spending time alone with the Lord each day a big enough priority lately. True, I don’t have huge chunks of uninterrupted time, but I do need to spend more time than I am. Because I want to. I want to grow more. Also, I think it is really important for our kids to see us spending time with God. It isn’t something we should always do when they are asleep or away, even though that uninterrupted time is nice, it is important for them to see us making time to be alone with our Lord.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for linking up this weekend!
Maggie says
AWEWOME post Monica! You go girl! Studying the bible for an hour a day does not necessarily make you a good Christian. Raising the children to follow Christ is just as important, if not moreso, than reading the bible! It’s walking the walk instead of just talking the talk. Thanks for the reminder! I am doing what I can every day to live in Christ.