There are so many benefits to reading God’s Word together—which is exactly why the Enemy will try to distract you from doing it. But how much time you get in the Word is not his say, it’s yours.
And trust us when we say that you don’t want to be found waiting for the perfect time, a silent home where you can completely focus, or circumstances that make it just right. Heck, you probably won’t get much past Genesis chapter 1 if you’re waiting for the ideal time to make it happen! You’re just going to have to roll up your sleeves, accept that it may not be perfect, and make it happen simply because it’s a priority.
All of it being on you is the bad news AND the good news! Bad, because it’s harder and you must be diligent, but good because it leaves YOU in control. And, if you know God’s Word, then you’ll know that one of the benefits you have is knowing that the Holy Spirit that lives inside you is bigger and more powerful than the Enemy opposing you. He has equipped you with all you need to prioritize this time.
So, let’s get started, shall we…
3 Things to Help you Make Time for Getting in God’s Word Together
Adjust your mindset. Getting in God’s Word together is a gift, not a chore. It’s not something you have to stress out over doing. Take the pressure off and don’t make it a task that needs to be checked off. Instead, look at it as life for your marriage, the breath that fuels it. As much as you naturally desire your lungs to be filled, desire the same for your marriage. His Word is a good gift. The more you see it as such, the more you will begin to naturally crave it. You don’t have to study it, you get to.
Choose your most alive time as a couple. Are you early bird coffee drinkers? Are you night owls who enjoy moments in bed together at night? Figure this out. What time of the day is your sweet spot as a couple? It may not be realistic to get in His Word if you’ve both been busy all day with work or kids and you’re ready to collapse at night. Bible study would then just become one more thing to do. It also may not be realistic to plan on it every day of the week when you know that your schedule won’t allow enough time together. Don’t set yourselves up to fail. Be realistic and plan times and amounts that work for the both of you, or be willing to switch if your best, most alive times are different.
Get creative. Studying God’s Word together should be a pleasurable time of connection. There are so many ways to study the Bible. You can choose a book like Proverbs to go through, you can do an actual Bible study workbook together, you can watch video-led lessons, or you can think out of the box and read a Christian book and then dive deeper by bringing God’s word into it.
You can also study separately and then meet to discuss it, or you can take turns reading it together. The goal, once again, is to make it work for you as a couple. You have the freedom to get as creative as you’d like. Your time together in God’s Word should be life-giving to you as individuals and as a couple.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Expedition Marriage
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