All believers know we need to study our Bibles. No one has ever regretted spending time learning more about God from His Word. The hard thing about studying the Bible is not actually studying the Bible. The study part is usually, if not always, incredibly rewarding. The hard thing about studying the Bible is, well, developing the habit of studying the Bible. We all know we should, and we are always glad when we do. But we also know we should do it on a regular basis and make it a part of our everyday lives.

So, how? How can we make it a habit?

Let me share with you what worked for me. Someone encouraged me to have a daily time in the Bible when I was in the seventh grade. That’s when I developed the habit. This is not to say I have studied my Bible diligently every day for the last 25 years. But it is to say it was during that season of my life it became a normal, habitual part of my life. This goes without saying, but if a seventh grade boy can develop a habit of reading/studying his Bible—anyone can do it!

So, what did I do?

I started reading a chapter out of the book of Proverbs every day. That’s it. I took 5-8 minutes to read the 25 verses or so. I wrote down a Proverb (verse) that resonated with me. I prayed it for myself and others. Done. Repeat the next day.

The Book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. Most months of the year have 30 or 31 days. This means you can pick it up anywhere in the month and read the chapter that goes along with that day. If you want to start today, read Proverbs 14. Or, start tomorrow with Proverbs 15.

I am not sure how true this is, but researchers suggest that it takes around 3 weeks (21 days) to develop a new habit. If this is true, if you committed to take 10 minutes a day for the next 31 days to read through the book of Proverbs, you would be well on your way to forming a habit of studying your Bible.

But how do I study my Bible?

At this point, you may ask: “But how do I study my Bible?” That’s a good question. It’s also for another post at another time. But if you want to develop the habit, I recommend the following:

1. Determine the time of day you are most alert.
2. Determine the place where you can best focus.
3. Decide if you need water or coffee or juice or a coke to sip on.
4. Determine the Bible translation you best understand.
5. Purchase a notebook or journal you can write in.
6. Purchase a pen you enjoy writing with.
7. Read the chapter in Proverbs that coincides with the day of the month (October 14th = Proverbs 14).
8. Write down a Proverb (verse) that speaks to you.
9. Pray it for yourself and others.
10. Repeat the next day for 30 more days.

A New Routine

I cannot guarantee you will have developed a new habit, but I can promise you that you will have developed much more of a regular routine having done this. What’s more, I predict you will have gleaned and learned so much that you will be eager to do it again.