We all have excuses as to why we can’t study the Bible. While some may seem valid, the reality is, with Saturation Bible Study, that is all they are: excuses. In this short series, I want to debunk the three most popular excuses I hear why someone shrinks away from getting into the Word.
Excuse 1: “I just don’t have any time!”
Let me start off by saying: “Hogwash!” If someone put a gun to your head and told you to find an extra 20 minutes in your day, or even an hour for that matter, I’m quite sure you could find it. The sad truth is we often care more about our precious sleep or TV time than we do about our intimacy with Jesus.
We have time. Dare I suggest we get less sleep or, God forbid, give up our treasured telly?
According to a recent study by Nielsen ratings, the average American watches 38.5 hours of television every week. Every week. That equates to a whopping 5.5 hours a day!
But let me give you the benefit of the doubt. You really don’t have much time. You don’t watch any TV. From the moment your eyes crack open till the moment you fall back into the land of sheep counting, every minute is scheduled and accounted for. You already sleep far less than you should, and the thought of losing even ten more minutes is already giving you the shakes. You of all people, with deep conviction in your voice, can proclaim: “I just don’t have any time!”
Okay. I get it! But let me introduce you to the idea of Saturation Bible Study.
The beauty of Saturation Bible Study is the fact that it is not wrapped up in an amount of time. In fact, you could be the busiest person in the world and still do it! Why? Because it doesn’t take any time … per se.
The normal mindset with devotions asks the question “how long?” How long do I have to study or read my Bible everyday so God will be pleased … so He will give me a good day … so He won’t be mad at me? It is based on a rewards system where I assume if I do _____, God will do ______.
But as we have talked previously, the purpose of Bible study is all about intimacy with Jesus. Just as you don’t put time limits on a marriage (“okay honey, you get the next 7.5 minutes and then I’m going back to focusing on myself”), you don’t put time limits on your relationship with Jesus.
The concept I want to stress to you is the fact that Saturation Bible Study is a lifestyle, not a mere activity.
Sure you may take some time to research a topic or do a word study, but the reason you can’t use time as an excuse is because it doesn’t have to take any time, you can do Saturation all throughout your day. Every single person thinks about something all throughout the day. When you drive your car, when you wait at a stop light, when you standing in a line, walking through a grocery store – our minds naturally ponder something. Some people fill those thoughts with concern, worry, and fear. For others it is lust or gossip. Others think through their to do list and the exciting evening plans for tonight. But what if we took those moments and filled them with Scripture?
Do you know how much “study” time you could have if you used your everyday-mundane moments to ponder the Word? What if you took your drive time and rather than listening to pointless talk radio, you listened to Scripture or wrote out a paragraph from the Bible on a notecard and thought about that during the drive? What if while waiting at a stop light you grabbed the card and read it over a few times, getting the Word engrained in your mind? What if you began to pray and ask the Spirit to teach you what He wrote … to give you insight and wisdom on the passage?
In John 15, Jesus gives a phenomenal illustration of a vine and a branch. The branch abides in the vine. In other words, the brach sinks down into, holds tight to, and rests in the vine. It is constantly abiding, receiving the life and nourishment of the vine. Could we be that way with Scripture?
Have you ever seen a branch that declared: “I just don’t have any time to receive the life and nourishment of the vine!”? Seems foolish doesn’t it? But think about why. For the branch, abiding, resting, and receiving the life and nourishment of the vine is not an activity – it is a lifestyle.
Yes you may need to set aside some time to actually study and get into the Word. It comes down to priority. You give your time to what you deem important. But what would happen if even on your busiest day, you were never separated from the Word … because you were saturated within it every moment of the day?
You have time. But even if you didn’t, your mind is going to be thinking about something today … shouldn’t it be dwelling upon Jesus and His Word?
Question: Do you struggle with the “time” of Bible study? How do you personally cultivate a vibrant intimacy with Jesus even when your time is limited? Leave a response in the comment section below.
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