10 Ways to Get More Scripture in Your Day

How can I make more time for the Bible?

That’s the number one question I get from people about doing devotions. They don’t feel like they have enough time. And in many ways, I completely understand: the struggle is real!

But in a conversation with a friend not too long ago, I realized that I may be thinking about this “I’m too busy” thing all wrong.

“How are you?” I asked my sweet friend, a mom of 4 children six and under who also runs a business with her husband and is active in various causes in her community. “Busy?”

What she said next was surprising. “My life is full right now, but sometimes I think saying ‘I’m busy’ becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

She didn’t say it in an unkind way, but rather explained that she’d gone through a mental overload recently and had found that convincing herself she was “too busy” just made her unmotivated and discouraged. Instead, she said she started looking for opportunities to fill her days…..purposefully pouring into it with good things, instead of giving into her frustration and letting the urgent crowd out the important.

That conversation really put my mind down a different path.

One that leads me to believe that it’s a blessing to be busy and that, although I definitely don’t have complete control over my time (I do have four young children, community activities, a part-time job and a husband with a crazy work schedule after all!), that only I can choose to be intentional about how I fill my days. 

So I’d like to challenge you, if you’re struggling to find time to read Scripture or teach it to your children, to take a few of these ten ideas for fitting more Scripture into your day and purposefully place them into your hours, before filling them with other activities.

Whether it’s the first thing you do when you get up, or what you do while you’re nursing your baby, or what you do in the car while waiting to pick up your kids from school, just pick the ones that appeal to you the most and fit with your life.

I think you’ll find, as I did, that the more we intentionally fill our lives with good things (the Word of God being one of them), the more we’ll desire to make these beneficial things a part of our day (and our family’s day too)!

10 Ways to Get More Scripture in Your Day

Listen to an audio Bible! Perfect for when you’re driving! Or when you’re making supper or need something to listen to while your kids are coloring at the table, like me :) The plus side is that they benefit from it too! I use the Bible Gateway mobile app because it reads to you in your choice of translation but there are many others out there as well.

Go through a simple Bible reading plan . Try reading through the Psalms in 90 Days, or choose a reading plan on the Bible app based on many relevant topics. With your children, try the Book of John for kids, found in the Olive Tree app! Here are some other Scripture reading plans designed specifically for families!

Do a Bible based devotional with your kids. Kids devotionals abound, but not all of them are solidly biblical. Five I would recommend that are truly based on Scripture are:

God’s Amazing Creatures and Me: Devotions for Boys and Girls ages 6-10

A Girl After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George (ages 8-11)

A Boy After God’s Own Heart by Jim George (ages 8-11)

Hide and Seek Devotional (great for ages 3-7)

One Year Devotions for Preschoolers (my 3 and 5 year old kiddos love this one!)

Make use of video devotionals with your family. I’m recommending videos for Bible time? Actually, yes! Our favorite Christian streaming channel, called JellyTelly, has created many video devotionals that are solidly based on Biblical truths. Some are centered around themes (the Fruits of the Spirit) and some go through Biblical timeline events (such as the Life and Ministry of Jesus).

JellyTelly also has hundreds of Christian shows and movies for families! You can see why we think JellyTelly is a good use of media time in our home or just hop straight over to the JellyTelly website and get a free 7 day trial so you can watch and use their devotionals (and other materials) in your own home.

**JellyTelly is now GoMinno!!

Read a reliable Bible storybook with your kids each night before bed. If you have young children like I do, sometimes it’s good to simply Biblical concepts in story form. But it’s important to find a Bible storybook that accurately reflects what is actually said in Scripture. Here are four excellent, must-have Bible storybooks that possess this quality! Our children have loved all of them at different ages and stages!

Post Bible verses around your home! What a perfect way to have Scripture in front of you all the time! As you know there are lots of ways to find free printable Bible verses (Pinterest of course being one of them) or you can always support some small businesses by buying a downloadable print from an Etsy shop! I have a few Scripture printables for free here on my blog, like these for struggling moms, printable Bible verse cards on grace, and this 1 Peter verse!

Watch a Christian video or listen to a Christian podcast that is Scripture based. Revive Our Hearts is a favorite podcast of mine. I also like listening to radio programs from Focus on the Family and watching encouraging videos from Christian moms (typically bloggers that I subscribe to, like Lisa Jacobson from Club31 Women).

Hop on the bandwagon with a Scripture Art coloring book or journaling/coloring Bible. ;) Here are ten beautiful Christian coloring books for a great price that you can color on your own or with older children! And though I don’t have a coloring Bible yet, I’m admiring the design of this one from Dayspring!

Write through the Word with Scripture calendars that give you a verse or two, centered around a different theme each month, to write and pray over each day! Check out Write Through the Word by clicking here!

I hope these tips have been helpful and that you can implement at least one or two in your own home. Feel free to share your ideas for getting more Scripture into your day in the comments!