As we fill our minds with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will use it to transform us. ‘Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives’ (Colossians 3:16 NLT). So how do we do that? 1) By committing to reading God’s Word and making it a priority every day. Most of us wouldn’t go a whole day without thinking to check social media and find out what our friends are up to. We don’t want to miss out. What if we started to treat the Bible this way too? What if we couldn’t wait to open it up and see what God’s got to say to us today? The more time we spend with His Word, the more we’ll grow spiritually. Maybe you think you haven’t got much time to devote to Bible-reading, but…if you read your Bible for just 15 minutes every day, in one year you’ll have read through it completely. Daily Bible reading keeps us within range of God’s voice. 2) By being open and receptive to God’s Word. In the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about three unreceptive attitudes: a closed mind (hard soil), a superficial mind (shallow soil), and a distracted mind (soil with weeds) (you’ll find the parable in Luke 8:5-15). He then goes on to say, ‘Consider carefully how you listen’ (v.18 NIV). Any time you feel you’re not learning, check your attitude, especially for pride. God can speak to you through the most boring teacher if you’re humble and receptive. James says, ‘Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you’ (James 1:21 NIV). God’s Word can change our lives – so let’s make it a priority in our day.

What Now?

When you’re going to check social media for the first time each day, try and stop yourself, and use those few minutes to read a chapter or two of the Bible instead.