By Noor van Haaften, speaker and author\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It has been many years since I, as an 18-year-old student, took part in an international Christian student retreat in Austria. It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0exactly a \u201cretreat,\u201d by the\u00a0way, because\u00a0we\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0get much free time. It was more like a short Bible school with many lectures, seminars, and small groups. Although I was\u00a0rather skeptical\u00a0about faith at the time and\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0find the idea of spending three weeks of my summer vacation at a Bible retreat very appealing, I had let myself be persuaded to attend. I kept to myself the fact that I was looking forward to the mountains more than to the retreat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n It is thanks to the main speaker at this retreat that my heart\u00a0opened up\u00a0to the Bible.<\/strong> He spoke with such enthusiasm about the Apostle Paul and the Epistle to the Romans that I was completely taken aback. As we discussed various stories about Jesus in small groups, my amazement at God\u2019s Word only grew. Soon I abandoned my original plan to leave the retreat early. By then I was fully immersed, and so I received three weeks of Bible instruction! During that memorable summer, it became clear to me how good it is and how much good it does to get to know the Bible and the God of the Bible. I became a Christian in the Salzburg region! Back in the Netherlands, I attended Bible study groups in Utrecht, where I was studying. I also regularly\u00a0participated\u00a0in Bible retreats. There I learned both to read and to study the Bible, which proved to be\u00a0life-changing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is an old English hymn that says that whoever wants to grow in faith should read the Bible and pray every day. Growth requires nourishment, and we find this in the Bible.<\/strong> The psalmist of Psalm 1 compares the person who loves God\u2019s Word and meditates on it constantly to a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit. This meditating on God\u2019s Word is an internalizing of what one has read. Much would be lost if, immediately after reading a Bible passage, we were to move on to our daily routine without pausing even for a moment to reflect on what we have read. <\/span><\/p>\n When we read Bible passages or verses at our leisure and keep ruminating on them (or even memorize them), they will take root within us and become effective or fruitful.<\/strong> Our hearts will not waver at every misfortune, but will become stronger and more steadfast, and our minds will be renewed. The psalmist of Psalm 119 writes about this: \u201cHow I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. You make me wiser through your commandments (…) I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your testimonies.\u201d (Psalm 119:97 ff.; LUT)\u00a0<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our Bible reading often falls by the wayside because\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0pressed for time. We think we\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have time! But most of the time,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0simply that everything else takes precedence, and in the end, we\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0bring ourselves to read the Bible. To be honest,\u00a0we\u2019d\u00a0certainly have time for Bible reading if it were\u00a0truly important\u00a0to us.\u00a0We\u2019d\u00a0save a lot of time if, for example, our cell phones took up less space in our lives. If we\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0play games before going to sleep and check first thing in the morning upon waking to see if anyone has sent us a WhatsApp message or email. We waste a lot of time by repeatedly letting ourselves be distracted and led away by all sorts of things, instead of consciously setting priorities so that\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0most important\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0get lost.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The latter happened to Martha, who was\u00a0probably more\u00a0of an extrovert by nature, which made it difficult for her to find peace\u00a0and be\u00a0still. When Jesus stopped in Bethany on his way to Jerusalem to visit her and her sister Mary, it was Martha who\u00a0immediately\u00a0rolled up her sleeves to take care of him and his companions. Mary, on the other hand, put everything aside to make the most of Jesus\u2019s unexpected visit.<\/strong> She sat right at Jesus\u2019s feet so she\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0miss a single word he said.<\/strong> While Martha, sweaty and frustrated, was searching for snacks to offer her unexpected guests, Mary and the guests were nourished and refreshed by Jesus\u2019s words. The \u201cMartha, Martha\u201d with which Jesus addressed Martha after she had lost her temper was not a rebuke. It pained Jesus that Martha, because she was so busy, was\u00a0missing out on\u00a0something, even though he had come to meet her and bless her with his words. Instead of setting the right priorities and sitting down with Jesus, she had lost herself in serving. This story can be found in Luke 10:38\u201342.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anyone who wants to get to know God\u2019s Word (and thus God Himself) better must consciously immerse themselves in the Bible. We would\u00a0miss out on\u00a0a great deal if we stuck to our favorite verses instead of reading more, digging deeper, and discovering more. It would also be a shame if we limited ourselves to the New Testament, for the Old Testament deserves to be heard as well\u2014because in it we discover God\u2019s nature and work, and because it \u201ccarries us\u201d toward the great climax of Jesus\u2019 coming into this world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There is no\u00a0hard-and-fast\u00a0rule for reading the Bible, although there is much to be said for reading a Bible verse or passage in the morning, praying, and starting the day with that text.\u00a0<\/strong>David, for example, sought the Lord early in the morning and entrusted his day to Him.\u00a0He says in Psalm 5:4 (LUT): \u201cO Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I seek you and wait expectantly.\u201d<\/em> This \u201cbeing attentive\u201d points to a devout listening for God\u2019s voice or His work in our lives. This listening is exciting: We hope in God and wait for Him!<\/strong> What is especially remarkable is that, in certain circumstances, a Bible verse may suddenly come to mind\u2014one that was \u201cstored\u201d in our hearts\u2014and that applies precisely now, encouraging us, comforting us, or showing us the way. It is a precious moment when God\u2019s light shines on our path and the Lord speaks to us.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When reading the Bible, you can choose a single verse or a longer passage, such as a psalm. Some people find a devotional book with a text for each day helpful, while others resolve to read and reflect on a book of the Old Testament, one of the Gospels, or a letter of Paul in the New Testament in small \u201cchunks.\u201d Just do what suits you and what is\u00a0feasible\u00a0for you.<\/strong> Some people find it helpful to set aside a specific spot in their home for Bible reading and prayer, while others use their work breaks for this, or listen to Bible passages and songs through AirPods while taking a walk or going for a run.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0leave it up to chance, because then it usually\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0happen, and\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0miss out on\u00a0the treasures the Bible has in store for you. Consciously make room in your life for Bible reading so that the Lord can speak to you and your connection with Him can grow stronger.<\/strong> May He bless you!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About the Author:\u00a0Noor van Haaften, a native of the Netherlands, is a sought-after speaker at Bible retreats and the author of several books, including a 7-part Bible study series on figures from the Old Testament. These books are also suitable for Bible study groups. Her latest book, \u201cJoshua, Commissioned by God,\u201d will be published in June of this year by Francke-Verlag in Marburg.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A day without God\u2019s Word is a day not lived! By Noor van Haaften, speaker and author\u00a0\u00a0 It has been many years since I, as an 18-year-old student, took part in an international Christian student retreat in Austria. It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0exactly a \u201cretreat,\u201d by the\u00a0way, because\u00a0we\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0get much free time. It was more like a short Bible school […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1392],"tags":[2227,3512],"class_list":["post-21346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-devotional","tag-erlebt-en"],"yoast_head":"\nIf you want to grow in faith\u2026\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Setting the Right Prioritie<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Bible Reading\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n