It's About Quality Not Quantity

When people talk to me about time and how they don’t have enough of it to study the Bible, I always say, “you don’t have time to NOT study the Bible. 

When it comes to studying the Bible, it’s natural to have questions like, How often should I study God’s Word? and How long should I study? 

Well, the Bible never tells us how long to study—it just says we’ll be extremely blessed as we regularly study and meditate on the Word. But I think it’s helpful to compare studying the Bible—our “spiritual food”—to the way we provide our bodies with natural food. 

Just as our bodies absolutely require food to live, we also regularly require God’s Word to grow, mature, enjoy our lives and have success. Growing in our relationship with God is one of the most important things we can do.

Generally, I encourage others to set aside some time every day to read and study God’s Word. Again, this isn’t a rule, but it’s important to put “first things first” and get into a good routine. 

I personally spend most of my time with the Lord in the morning. This is when my mind is the clearest and I feel the freshest. For you, your best time may be right before you go to bed, or it may be at lunch. I think the important thing is to give God your best and set aside time when you know you’ll be awake and alert. 

I will say this again later, but it’s worth repeating: If you’re not sure where to start, just start somewhere. Even if you begin by simply taking 5 or 10 minutes each morning, it all counts...and you are giving yourself something to build on. 

“Quality” Time Is the Key

This was a difficult one for me. I’m a “doer”—I like to accomplish things and feel like I’ve gotten a lot done. However, when it comes to studying God’s Word, the quality of our study time is so much more important than the quantity of how many pages or chapters we can read.

You see, you and I can take in a lot of information but not truly comprehend and understand it. If we truly want revelation, then we need to take the time to properly study and meditate on the Word.

For instance, I remember years ago when I was a part of a group who committed to reading through the entire Bible in a year. I needed to read about six chapters a day in order to accomplish this goal. I even had a checklist that hung on my refrigerator. After reading my six chapters, I would walk over and check off another box. 

Well, I’m sure you can see where this is going. I got really caught up in the program and became much more interested in “making progress” than anything else. I felt so spiritual because I was reading the Bible through in a year. I was so proud when my friends came over and saw all of my boxes checked.

I’ll never forget what happened next. Somehow, I’d gotten behind by about 36 chapters, and I was determined to catch up...all in one day. So, I decided to read as fast as I could. By the end of the day, I was still behind, but I had made tremendous progress.

At that moment—as I was finishing up for the day, so proud of myself—I clearly heard the Lord speak to my heart. He asked me, “So, what did you learn today, Joyce?”

Not getting the point, I said, “Well, ah, I read this much in Proverbs, this much in Psalms, this much in the Old Testament and this much in the New Testament.” The Lord replied, “No, no, no—what did you learn?” 

Sadly, I couldn’t remember anything I had read that day. But I did learn this lesson: The Lord said, “Joyce, I would rather you meditate on just one scripture until you really get it than read a lot of chapters just to feel good about yourself.” 

Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to read through the Bible in a year. If God leads you to do so, then it can be a great thing. But it’s important to make sure we’re not just trying to fill a quota—it’s important to do it for the right reasons if we’re going to get the most out of our experience.

I encourage you to take your time and really focus your attention on what you’re reading. Remind yourself often that it’s about the quality, not the quantity. As you do, this will give your mind a chance to absorb the riches of God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to specifically apply the Scriptures to your life.