Do you tend to make tiny scripture study goals or big ones?
Personally, I tend to leap head-first into humongous goals that are totally overwhelming.
I’ll read a scripture about the importance of prayer and decide that I’m going to be 100% better at praying right away! No more missed prayers, no more routine prayers– I will become a prayer rockstar overnight!
But over time I’ve discovered that it’s a recipe for failure.
It turns out that baby steps– tiny goals that require just incremental changes– are actually so much better for our souls and our scripture study goals!
Knowledge is POTENTIAL Power
One of the things I teach when I talk about how to have great scripture study is that action is key.
We absolutely MUST act on what we’ve learned if we want to have truly powerful scripture study.
I was recently listening to the lovely Brooke Snow talk about the importance of taking action on the things we learn. One thing she said has stuck with me ever since. She said, “Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is POTENTIAL power.”
Don’t you love that?!
Knowing is not what will get us into the Celestial Kingdom. We have to become a different person because of what we know!
This is why the Sword Method of scripture study includes an invitation to act every single time you read the scriptures and learn something new.
Don't Leap Into Your Scripture Study Goals Just Yet!
But if you’re like me the idea of setting a goal EVERY single time you read the scriptures might feel stressful.
I’m a leaper. When I make a goal I feel like it has to be huge and life-changing.
As I’m writing this I’m just finishing up a year-long goal to be sugar-free. Yes ZERO sugar for a year (except for one day a month).
And even though I’ve reached my goal, I’ve hated it and don’t feel like it’s actually helped anything. I’m just finishing it up so I can say I’ve done it.
I wish SO much that I’d taken a gentler approach to trying to be healthy with small daily or weekly goals.
“Instead of trying to perfect everything, what if we tackled just one thing?”
Join the 1% Better Club! (Tiny Scripture Study Goals Are Where It's At)
This is why I want to make it very clear that when I encourage people to make goals each time they study the scriptures, I’m talking about something that can be done in five minutes or less.
We’re not giving up sugar for a year here, folks!
For example, if I studied a scripture about gratitude I might make a goal to say a quick prayer in which I express gratitude and ask for absolutely nothing.
Or if I read a scripture about the importance of service I might make a goal to send a quick text of love to someone who could use a boost.
These are one percent improvements that might not feel significant but create fantastic spiritual momentum.
“Each assertion of a righteous desire, each act of service, and each act of worship, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum.”
Baby Steps Lead to Big Changes
God wants us to change. He wants us to improve.
But an overwhelmed child isn’t of nearly as much use to Him as a child who is slowly, but steadily working toward worthwhile goals.
So here is my one percent challenge to you: make a goal that today when you read your scriptures you’ll make a related goal that can be done in 5 minutes or less!
You’ll be amazed at how much spiritual momentum that tiny action will create!
“If you can get just one percent better at something each day, by the end of a year … you will be 37 times better.”
