Priority Not Perfection

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

Arise and shine, dear one! God is with you!

Happy New Year! At the start of a new year, many of us begin our resolutions of what we hope to achieve for the year. You may be starting a new diet, routine, or reading plan. You might be scheduling your time or creating lists to help manage your new goals. We know that in a few weeks or months, we often become disillusioned with our progress and give up when we don’t meet the perfect standard we’ve set for ourselves.

If you’re a perfectionist like me, you may find it frustrating to set goals for yourself and not achieve them. I discovered a way to break this cycle yet move forward with my intentions to stay in God’s Word. Instead of focusing on maintaining a perfect track record of my Bible reading goals, I keep it a priority to spend time in God’s Word daily. I moved from a daily tracker that if I wasn’t on that date’s reading, I was “behind” to simply moving forward each day with a goal to prioritize my relationship with the Lord and see who God is through His Word. My attitude changed from a checklist performance mentality to a desire to know my God better and that heart change made all the difference!

In 2nd Timothy we learn of the value of all Scripture. When we spend time in God’s Word, we’ll see the Truth, realizing what’s wrong in our lives and learning to do what is right. Each day spent in Scripture allows God to use it to prepare and equip us to do every good work He has for us. God’s Word changes us and it happens in those little daily choices we make to prioritize our time with Him.

How can you prioritize God’s Word this year, dear one? What can you do today to grow in your relationship with Him? You won’t regret that time spent in Scripture and at the end of the year you’ll see all that God has done in your life by making Him a priority.