Sunday: Time
Daily Lesson for Sunday 26th of April 2026
Have you ever set your alarm a little earlier than usual in order to wake and read your Bible? Have you ever struggled to drag yourself out of bed and then looked at the clock and thought, I have 15 minutes before I need to begin the day. I better hurry! Have you ever gone through the motions of having a brief prayer or skimming a chapter, only to find your conscience appeased but your heart unsatisfied with the result before you rushed into the day?
“There is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 90.
Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com
While there are indeed blessings that come from reading the Bible—like drinking from a fire hydrant (lots and fast)—it is possible to read the Bible through quickly and miss so much. God gave us His inspired, precious Word so that we would come to know more about Him (and, in the process, more about ourselves, too). When we take time to see the indescribable, beautiful character of God and the ways He has interacted with humanity throughout history, we can only love Him more. The record of His interactions is right there in our hands—but we must find time, and take time, to know God through reading His Word (Acts 17:11). Consider the following suggestions:
Ask God to place a desire in your heart for Him. Claim the promises in Jeremiah 29:13 and Psalms 37:4. Invite Him to wake you up earlier than usual or to free up some time in your day to do so.
Surrender your time to God. Yes, you’re busy, and there are so many urgent things to do. But time with God is invaluable. Go to a quiet place by yourself and read Psalms 46:10. Read the words or sing to God the hymn “I Surrender All.” Think about the areas of your life that may not be surrendered and offer them to God.
Spend time with God even when you may not feel like it. Just as it takes a conscious choice and an action plan to be healthy (exercise, eat well), it takes a conscious choice to have a close relationship with God. Remember that new habits can take at least 21 days to form, and we can never succeed without the Holy Spirit’s help.
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Read again John 15:1-8. What is Jesus telling us about abiding in Him, and why is this so crucial to our faith? |
Depending on the print size, the Gospel of Matthew is usually about 40 pages long. If you were reading a story book, that would take at most a couple of hours. Carmel and I have read it aloud to one another for our evening worship in 15-minute segments and we have typically finished the whole Gospel in a week. It is not a difficult read. At that rate you can read all four Gospels in less than a month.
I must emphasise, it is not the speed or quantity but the purpose that is important.
I am a big fan of his type of Bible Study because:
I first used this approach to Bible study many years ago when we had a whole quarter on the book of Hebrews. We were busy forensically picking over a few verses each day and getting stuck on definitions and syntax. It did not inspire me, so I decided to read the whole book through in one sitting. It took me less than an hour and I came away from the experience with a new and exciting understanding of the epistle.
I don’t mean to disparage careful analysis and meditation on a verse or two. That can be productive as well. But consider the approach I have described above. You may be surprised at how effective it is in rejuvenating your Bible study.
I feel like idealy we need both types of study (though not necessarily at the same time). To really understand a book or passage, you need to read it through without stopping too much. Similarly, we will not likely have time to study the whole Bible verse by verse slowly in our lifetime. This means reading the Bible through, maybe in a year or even less time. This has been my practice for many years.
However, in more recent years, when I began studying a book a Bible slowly and going through it verse by verse, I have also been greatly blessed. I missed a lot of things going fast.
It’s not a coincidence that the title of today’s lesson is “Time” and the lesson ended with John 15:1-8, where Jesus Christ preached about abiding in Him. The following verses stood out for me;
John 15:7. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
In engineering there are machines that are designed to mass produce certain products but the disadvantage is that they don’t live long enough, while there are some machines designed to produce with the “Slow and Steady” ideology and they last from generation to generation producing efficiently as long as there is energy supplied to it.
Christianity which is abiding in Christ is not about speed which can bring about fatigue, doubt and discouragements rather, Christianity or abiding in Christ is about patience, endurance and perseverance in doing our Master’s work of soul winning efficiently as long as we live on this Earth.
We already have a firm assurance that God will help us to be productive as long as we abide in Christ Jesus and His words abide in us.
May we find encouragement in these instructions from Elder James as we await the coming of our Lord and King Jesus Christ.
James 5:7-11
James 5:7. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
8. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
10. My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
11. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Thank you Jephthah, that was helpful. That quotation from James was especially meaningful to me because years ago I took it upon my self to memorize the entire book and recite it in church–in costume. 🙂
There are several gold nugget statements in today’s lesson.
“Ask God to place a desire in your heart for Him.”
“Surrender your time to God.”
“Think about the areas of your life that may not be surrendered and offer them to God.”
“Spend time with God even when you may not feel like it.”
“Just as it takes a conscious choice and an action plan to be healthy (exercise, eat well), it takes a conscious choice to have a close relationship with God.”
Each of the statements above has invoked the name of God. It is very true that in certain things, only God’s intervention can make a difference. Good intentions are not good enough. In all circumstances, we want to do God’s will, but we are unable to do so. We write new resolutions each year, including spending quality time with the Word of God, but without much avail. Only divine power can make a difference. We are too weak to make spiritual desires come to pass. We must surrender our will totally to the leading of the Holy Spirit. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3). God desires to grant to us all that which is according to His will. Our spiritual growth is what God desires of us.
“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7).
Taking time to read and study the Bible is essential because it grounds our lives in what truly matters, especially in a world full of endless responsibilities and distractions. Daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, working, and running errands are all necessary and valuable, yet they can easily consume our attention and leave little room for spiritual growth. The story of Mary and Martha reminds us that while busyness is often unavoidable, it should not come at the expense of our relationship with God. In Luke 10:41–42, Jesus Christ gently tells Martha, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha was overwhelmed by many duties, but Mary chose to sit and listen, prioritizing what Jesus called “the one thing necessary.” This teaches us that intentionally setting aside time for Scripture is not a luxury, but a vital choice that brings clarity, peace, and purpose amid life’s demands.
Beyond simply reading, studying the Bible allows us to understand God’s voice more deeply and apply His truth to our lives in meaningful ways. When we engage with Scripture thoughtfully reflecting, questioning, and seeking insight we open ourselves to transformation. The Bible is not just a book of words; it is a living message that shapes our character, strengthens our faith, and guides our decisions. As Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” By making time to study it consistently, we grow closer to God and become better equipped to navigate life with wisdom and grace. This intentional practice not only changes us personally but also enables us to positively impact others, as the truths we learn begin to influence how we live, speak, and love.
Proximity is necessary for relationships to thrive. It is (to the most part) when people in any kind of relationship be it spousal, parental, family, business,etc close to each other or one another that they feel fulfilled in the relationship. It is the same with our spiritual life. Staying close to God in the regular study of His Word and praying unceasingly is necessary for a relationship with God.
In a fast paced world, we have to make a conscious decision to spend quality time with Jesus. This is beautifully expressed in the old hymn “Take Time To Be Holy”
“Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall
see.”
May God give us the strength to block out the distractions and spend quality time with Him!!!!
Thinking of all the times I’ve sat next to Mom in the hospital while she is hooked up to an IV pump, the steady beep beep of the machines going, the heart rate numbers flickering and the solid red heart beat line going on and on.
An IV pump or infusion pump is a medical device which is used to deliver fluids, medications, or nutrient solutions into a patient’s body. The pump works by using electrical power in order to draw fluid from the IV bag along the tube and into the patient’s body. It can do this at very precise rates, and it can be programmed to deliver fluids at different speeds and in different quantities.
This reminds me of Jesus’ analogy of the vine and the branches. Any branch that is not connected to the vine is not receiving nutrients. And those nutrients must be received as a steady drip of constant nutrition, constant Living Water, constant medicine to heal from sin. The Scripture that I read in the morning I like to think about all day long, and if possible bring it into different scenarios of my day. It’s got to be a constant drip of truth and life into my consciousness.
I remember one time, I left my Mom’s room and when I returned blood had soaked her sheet and johnny and the stain was growing! I couldn’t see where all the blood was coming from and ran for help. The IV tubing had disconnected from the IV catheter inserted into the vein in her hand and that time no alarm had sounded. An alarm will sound if there is kinked tubing, if the power cord is disconnected, or if the infusion bag is almost empty. The alarm is very useful…..and loud.
The Holy Spirit serves as our alarm whenever we get disconnected. When my inner peace of “being still in the Lord” (Ps. 46:10) and waiting for Him to act starts to slip away….when I start to feel impatient, resentful, a lack of love, anger, etc….a little warning goes off in me… that is a sign that I need to run back to God’s Word (what in Scripture fits my situation at that moment?) and run to prayer to get reconnected. Love, patience, humility, kindness, self-control, joy, peace (Gal. 5:22-26)….that is the steady beep beep of everything going along smoothly. Of life in Jesus continuing. No kinks in the line. Hearing those sounds within my heart and mind builds my faith in Him. Ah, the heavenly IV drip is working!
Remember that He is divine and we are de branch.
John 15:1-8 contains a very important aspect of the Christian Faith – ‘for the believer to be in Christ that Christ can be in him’. This Truth struck me as incredibly important. To properly understand our state of faith we ought to see our relationship with Christ Jesus outside of time.
John 15:2-4
”Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [the Father] takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Reflecting on the lesson’s title – ‘Time’ – I want to do this by defining the place we hold in Christ and Him in us . Can being ‘in Him’ be defined as a ‘place in time’, or is this a ‘state of being’ void of time because it is measured by actions derived from the placement of being in Him and He in us? Our Lord Jesus Christ has established this Truth for us to know how important it is to stay connected to Him, the Vine, in order for us to be able to do good works.
I consider spending ‘time’ with Him does not apply here; we are either in Him and He in us or we are not. The branch cannot detach itself from the vine as this is done by the Father should He find it necessary to ‘cast the ‘branch’ out. What is the purpose of our ‘everlasting’ placement in Jesus and He in us, what is it to bring about? Is it not for the disciple to bear much fruit to glorify the Father? ‘Time’ is measured by the bearing of good fruit – Eph.2:10; John 15:6-8.
Just a comment about the time you make your main devotional time. I know the lesson kind of makes it sound like this has to be first thing in the morning. But the time is less important than the fact you do it. What is most important is finding a time that you can set aside for God. For many people, this is morning. If they don’t start the day with God, it doesn’t happen. But for some people, another time is better – afternoon, evening, even lunch break at work.
I am not a morning person and if I made morning my main devotional period, it would likely be rushed and not very good. It would also probably be skipped many times. So most days, my time with God is in the evening, though I try not to do it right before bed when I’m getting drowsy. I do spend some time with God in the morning – I read a short passage from the Bible and pray before I do anything else. But this time is probably no more than 10 minutes. My main time with God is later. I feel that works well for me. Sometimes I will have my devotions in the morning if I know the day ahead is packed and I may have trouble finding alone time. But mostly I prefer the evening during the week or sometimes the afternoon on the weekend.
Information does not necessarily free someone. What can free us in our search for God or knowledge from Above is an open heart. We may know a lot about what is written and right, but if this is not practical in our lives, then it means nothing.