The first thing I do every morning is open my eyes.

The second? Put on my glasses. Sometimes, when I’m EXTRA tired, I’ll realize I’m walking around in a blur and that I forgot to put on my glasses. Until I’m wearing them, I’m useless.

Once my vision is restored, I make coffee.

Once coffee is perking I open my Bible.

I’ve found if I wait until I “just do one thing” or answer an email or quickly check social media I get distracted and either never have a quiet time, or spend a much shorter time to spend in the Word.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

This literally means FIRST for me. (Except for the brewing coffee, because coffee greatly aides my alertness while reading. And glasses, because I can’t see the words without them.)

But what do I read?

If you’re thinking it would be great to have a quiet time and you’re ready for some 20/20 vision but you look at the big, thick Bible and it looks intimidating or you don’t know where to begin, I’d like to offer a few suggestions.

I read through books so I can discover themes or common threads. I also alternate between the Old Testament and New Testament. I find it very important for contextual understanding. If I camp out in one book or one type of book, my theology becomes shallow.

Also, I’m a journaler. My brain, after seven kids, is a sieve—as much runs out as stays in. So I need to write things down. A benefit of that is that when I slow down enough to write I find more patterns and repeated ideas than I see with just a quick read. We’ll discuss journaling techniques next week. For this week let’s dive into the Word

Bible Reading Plans

One of the best productivity hacks in my life is the habit of the “pre-decision.”

I pre-decide what will be my first three tasks of a day. Then I wake up to an in-place plan and I don’t waste any of my limited morning energy on figuring out what to do.

My first task is quiet time. And if I already KNOW what I’m reading, then I can sit down and start. No hunting around. I just open to my book mark and get started. 

What To Read

When I’m struggling:

Psalms

When my heart aches or my life feels storm-tossed, I find refuge in the Psalms. The poetry and songs there are honest and real. Doubts are expressed. Complaints made. And the hope and reality of God in the midst of the hard is proclaimed.

But what Psalm to read? That’s easy. What is the date? 

Read the Psalm for that day, and then add 30 to it and read the next, and the next, until you come to the end. For instance, if today is the 29th. So I would read Psalm 29, Psalm 59, Psalm 89, Psalm 149. (I save Psalm 119 for the 31st of the month since it is so long.)

Many Psalms are short so this not as overwhelming as it might seem. I’ve found repeated phrases and themes that hop from one Psalm to the next. Whenever I’m down, I fall back on this for my quiet time. I think I’ve read the Psalms more than any other book.

• Read the Psalms of the day.

• Observe the honest ways the psalmists cry out to God.

• Write down phrases that resonate with you and spend time crying out to God too.

When I’m facing battles:

1 and 2 Chronicles

I love God’s history. Reading the stories of His people and how much they failed and how often He showed up anyway, fills me with hope and strength for whatever battle I’m facing.

I’ve discovered that God’s people succeed not from what they do but from how much they trust. When they turn fully to the Lord and FOLLOW, letting Him fight FOR them, the most amazing stories occur.

God’s power to fight for His people when they are outnumbered and outgunned (or out-speared might be more accurate. Out-arrowed? Out-chariotted?) has built so much faith in my quaking heart. God doesn’t need me. He wants me to trust, obey, follow, and give Him the glory.

That’s amazing, freeing news.

Read a chapter at a time and record ways people abandon the Lord. Observe how He calls them back, and how He fights for them when they repent.

When I don’t know what to do:

New Testament Letters: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

The Letters are full of instruction from how to guard our hearts to how to work with others. And the nice thing is they are short, so it's easy to get through them rather quickly.

I look for explanations of the character and work of Jesus and write that down. I also record specific instructions for my own behavior, though I guard against making a list of behaviors and only concentrating on that. My flesh prefers a list to accomplish and wants my heart to stay out of the way.

But I desire to be led by the Spirit so that my behavior follows Him, rather than behaving in a way I hope He’ll approve of.

• Read a chapter a day and make a list of what you observe about Jesus and His work.

• Then write down any specific instructions to obey.

• Write a list of what He promises in us.

• Record prayers and pray them personally for yourself.

Remembering what you read

If a particular verse jumps off the page, write it down on a notecard and put it somewhere you can see it throughout the day.

I sometimes start with glancing over yesterday’s journal notes. That jogs my memory for what I learned the last time in this book. 

• Pray before you start.

• ask the Lord to help you remember what you read. 

The value of time in the Word comes from long, slow, consistent faithfulness where one small truth builds onto another into a solid foundation that bears the weight of hardship, doubt, illness, failure, and other pains of life.

No other discipline has built more into my life or corrected my vision.

So I can’t repeat enough. Get in the Word!