A week ago I was scrolling through Instagram and noticed a post of a Bible from Nathan Bramblett. The post said he was starting the morning off right. #NoBible #NoBreakfast I was pumped to read it and even more excited to see an elite athlete (Games athlete in this case) give priority and precedence to his faith. Since seeing his post I have seen that hashtags and the concept of getting in the Word early in the morning a couple other places. This is a great example of a man that many people are watching, making sure they see through him toward Christ.
This idea of giving priority to Christ and His Word in the morning before the day gets started is found throughout Scripture. In Mark 1:35, Jesus gives us this example as He got up early to pray in a secluded place. Abraham displays it in Genesis 19:27. David commends us to seek the Lord early in the morning in Psalm 5:3. This commendation is all over Scripture. However, this truth really shouldn't be a massive surprise to us. Preparation is a part of our culture and an assumed reality for much of our lives. How do we prep for a workout? We warmup. How do we prep for a big maximal lift? We work through a series of lighter lifts to prep for the big lifts. How do we prep for big competitions? Specific preperatory cycles and tapers. Why is breakfast the "most important meal of the day?" Because it gives us the energy, nutrients, and metabolic necessities for the day.
We set ourselves up for success in multiple ways throughout our day. The same principles runs true for reading our Bible. When we take time to read the Bible in the mornings and set aside time specifically for that purpose we set our souls up for "success" for the day. Time spent in the Bible isn't the same as time spent reading a non-fiction book or a nice romantic comedy. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, inerrant and infallible meant to guide us in growing intimacy with God. Meant to develop us into more holy Christians. Meant to reveal the gaps, sins, and blind spots in our relationship with Christ. When we make it a priority to spend time reading God's Word in the morning before the day gets started we align our heart and mind to the purposes of God for the day. We set ourselves up for "spiritual success" by setting our eyes first on God before anything else that day.
The idea of Bible before (or with) breakfast is not a new one but one that needs to make a comeback. Making Christ the highest priority and making Him first in the day is not only a clear command from Scripture but a commendation to set us align with Christ daily. We somehow manage to get on Instagram and Twitter early in the morning (guilty here) but can't manage to get in the Word. I love seeing men and women be the exception to this rule. The Bible is our clear gift to connect to our Lord. Leaving it on the shelf every day is no different than dating someone and never talking to them. Get in that Bible before Breakfast!