Somebody once said to me, “I’m really pressed for time. I’m super busy but I want to read my Bible. How can I study the Bible quickly?”

“You can’t,” I said.

Like anything else worth doing, Bible study takes time. You’re going to have to set aside some time in order to study well. We can’t just rush through and move our eyeballs over the page and hope to experience spiritual growth. Studying takes time.

That means Bible study requires routine and reflection — a dedicated time and place; and a way of capturing your thoughts. Here are some practical tips that help me:

• For me, the morning is my best time for studying. That’s when I do my prep work for sermons, teaching, etc. But the evenings are good time for me to read “for me” — just to study for devotional time.
• It also helps me to put my phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode. Headphones are also a must. I have some go-to instrumental playlists that I use exclusively for studying.
• I need a well lit space in order to study. I usually take my Moleskine journal with me. That way I have some method of writing down my questions, my thoughts, my observations, etc.