Before I became a believer, I questioned whether any time spent reading the Bible could produce benefits. But even if there were benefits, my daily schedule was already overbooked.
Then one of my believing friends told me that if I spent just 15 minutes every day reading God’s Word and applying it to my life, I could accomplish more in less time. He said that God’s resources would empower me. God’s resources include:
- Wisdom – (James 1:5)
- Insight and Guidance – (Proverbs 3:5,6 and Isaiah 58:11 and Psalm 25:12)
- The Lord’s Blessing – (Jeremiah 17:7,8 and Numbers 6:24-26)
- Fruits of the Spirit – (Galatians 5:22)
- Supernatural Power – (Acts 1:8 and Ephesians 3:20 and Romans 8:11)
- Strength – (Isaiah 40:31 and Isaiah 41:10)
- Joy – (John 15:11)
- Peace – (Isaiah 26:3)
- Stability – (Psalm 16:8,9)
- Protection – (Psalm 91:11)
- Mercy and Grace – (Hebrews 4:16)
- Prosperity and Success – (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3)
He opened his Bible and read (Psalm 84:10), which in effect tells us that a day spent with God is more profitable than spending a thousand days elsewhere. I reminded him, however, that my time was already overbooked.
His reply made me reconsider my position. He told me that every day God gives us 96 fifteen-minute segments of time to spend as we choose. Next, he showed me a circle that contained 96 fifteen-minute segments of time. (I inserted the circle at page 129 of my book titled Created For Greatness—Living Your Best Life Through God’s Word).
I had to admit that looking at the circle with 96 fifteen-minute segments helped me realize how much time God gives us every day. To further clarify the point, he said that the 96 fifteen-minute segments translate into 1,440 minutes. So my friend recommended I spend just 15 minutes of those 1,440 minutes every day to read God’s Word and apply it to my life. He continued by telling me that I should not use the excuse that my life was so busy that I could not find 15 minutes. Furthermore, when he said that we always find time to do the things we want to do, I had to agree.
He finished by telling me that if we extrapolate on (Psalm 84:10), we could argue that spending one fifteen-minute segment with God every day, is more beneficial than spending a thousand fifteen-minute segments on our own. And if we do the math, one thousand fifteen-minute segments equals 250 hours. In other words, spending fifteen minutes with God every day is better (a more profitable use of our time) than spending 250 hours without God’s help.
Because my friend knew that R.O.I. (return on investment) was important to me, he concluded by saying that spending 15 minutes every day reading God’s Word and applying it to my life would provide a miraculous R.O.I on the use of my time. And I would be able to accomplish more in less time. My friend was right back then. And today, he is still right.