30 Day Challenge
I have been seeing 30 day challenges on Instagram and Pinterest a lot lately. Maybe it’s because everyone wants to make the most of their summer. There are challenges for letter writing, exercising, photography, art, and so many other hobbies. I have seen the results from people who have stuck with it the whole month and it’s amazing what they can accomplish! This got me thinking about what I could accomplish in a month. I looked back on my New Year’s Resolutions and found one that has been on my list every year: Read the Bible every day.
I have improved on my Bible reading. I read it 3 to 5 days a week. Sometimes it comes as an afterthought and other days I’m more intentional. But I don’t want spending time with God to be a chore or put little effort into it. I can be doing more to deepen my relationship with Christ. It's the most important relationship that I will ever have and I need to start treating it as such.
That is why I’m taking 30 days to develop the habit of spending time with Jesus every day.
If you would like to do a similar challenge, here are some ideas and tips to get you started:
1. Make an obtainable goal. Have you ever started a big project and half way through quit because you got too overwhelmed? Me too. So make a goal that you know you will be able to do, yet still challenges you. Maybe you already have a consistent Bible reading plan, but want to go deeper.
You can:
Read commentaries
Memorize scripture
Write your prayers in a journal
Read a book in the Bible all the way through
You don’t have to do all of these things at once. It can be as simple as you like. Just take whatever time you are spending with God and bring it to the next level.
2. Make a goal that you can measure and schedule. I think that we all have said, “Let’s grab coffee soon!” to a friend and never got around to it. We can do that when we spend time with God too. Be specific and schedule when you will spend time with Jesus. I am going to set up an alarm on my phone that reminds me to read my Bible at a certain time every day. I also really like checklists. Being able to place a check mark on my calendar every day will help me stay on track.
3. Be creative! Projects can really help with scripture memorization. I like to take blank note cards and paint or draw my memory verse on it. I will often use this card as a book mark or place it somewhere that I will see it often.
You could also:
Listen to a song that quotes the verse
Write the main message of a passage that you read in bullet points and then decorate it
Create a collage of verses
Search Pinterest for ideas
4. Set up an accountability partner. A person who says, “How is you challenge going this week?” can be incredibly helpful. These little reminders keep you consistent. This could be your friend, sibling, parent, or even a blog or social media. You could even ask someone if they would like to do the challenge too and you could both keep each other accountable.
5. Pray. You can’t develop a deeper relationship with someone that you never talk with. I find that, in these quiet moments with Jesus, he gently nudges me in the right direction and works on making my heart more like his.
6. Don’t know where to start? Try these free websites and apps:
(I'm not affiliated with these companies)
YouVersion: There are Bible studies on here for a variety of topics, books of the Bible, and lengths. It will even remind you and you can share your progress on social media or with friends. I really enjoyed the Chase the Lion reading plan and I might try Love Fest Next.
She Reads Truth: The app has some free studies and the website is free. I love the commentary on the studies and the feeling of community on their blog.
Women Living Well: Women living well has free ebooks and even some free videos. This is great for reading through a whole book of the Bible.
The focus of this challenge isn’t to say, “Yay! I did it for a month.” Instead, I hope that this will help you and me to create a lasting habit of spending time with God.