The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day. – Henry Ward Beecher
I start my day the same way every day. I open my phone. I squint at the bright screen. I press down on the app icon. The Bible app opens and I start reading. I have found it is the best way to start my day. Why is this? Let me explain.
As a Christian I believe that God has invited us to have a relationship with him. He is not off in some distant place. He is not removed. He is near. We can learn about him and learn from him. We can have a relationship with him through his son Jesus.
Just like any relationship, it takes an investment of time and attention to make it grow. You can’t keep friends if you never spend time with them or talk to them. You can’t have a successful marriage if you don’t spend time nurturing the relationship. The same is true with a relationship with God.
How do we nurture a relationship with God? The best way I have found is through reading the Bible and prayer. The Bible has 66 books in it. It is a compendium of who he is and how much he loves us. You have to read it again and again and still it has more to offer. It is the word of God.
Now, notice what I didn’t say. I didn’t say you have to understand all of it the first time you read it. The Bible was written by the inspiration of God on a different continent by over 40 authors over thousands of years. There are vast amounts of history and context you have to study and understand to get a full picture of what is being said and to whom it is being said. It has to be read over and over again.
More than that though, through reading it you get a picture of who God is. You see that the Greatest of all loved us so much that he gave his Son to save us from our sin. You learn that he rose again that death would no longer have power and we could be with him.
This God wants to have a relationship with us. For that reason I set aside the first part of my day to read my bible and pray. I want to know him better and better.
What do you do with the first hour of your day? How has it made a difference?
See you on Day 13
David Willis 