The other day, I was thinking about how important focus really is when it comes to achieving our goals. An illustration that came to mind was how water, when properly narrowed and under pressure, can cut through steel. However, water, without focus, floods and eventually destroys.
On the one hand, focused water is productive, and unfocused water is destructive. This principle transfers to most aspects of our lives. We all experience times when we lose focus and get distracted. At the same time, we’ve all benefited from focus. The problem comes when we lose focus on what matters most. This aligns with one of my goals this year: to equip, inspire, and encourage you to continue your daily Bible reading.
As we consider our Bible reading this year, let us consider three points that help us focus better this year:
- Purpose
- Boundaries
- Consistency
Purpose
What is a basic definition of purpose? A good way to think of purpose is like a bullseye of a target that is set in advance of a shot. Anyone can shoot a piece of blank paper and then later draw a circle around it, bragging that they hit the bullseye. We all know that’s a convenient way to define purpose–after the fact. However, purpose rightly understood is a goal that guides our actions, and our accomplishment of the goal may therefore be assessed. It begins with the end in mind, starting by asking the question, “WHY?”
Boundaries
What are boundaries? I like to think of boundaries like a river’s riparian zone–the edges, if you will, of a river that are strengthened by roots and myriad plants and animals flourishing along the river’s border, keeping the river from overflowing. In other words, boundaries are thresholds or borders that govern how we spend our time and effort. Like purpose, I have to tell my time in advance what to do. Randomly going about my day is like a river without edges; it gets things wet, but it may also ruin its surroundings.
Consistency
What does it mean to be consistent? Let’s start by saying what consistency is not. Consistency is not perfection. This is a really important distinction. A lot of times, people get discouraged because they do not do things the perfect way or at the perfect time. When they miss the so-called mark of a goal, people see it as failure rather than as an opportunity to learn. It is here that giving up is often justified. That’s not ok, especially when it comes to Bible reading.
So, what is consistency? Consistency is like a drip that keeps falling on a boulder. Every little droplet that hits the boulder varies, but in time, it has the potential to break it in half. Not one drop, in and of itself, is perfect, but over time, consistently applied, it will achieve its outcome. This applies to consistency in Bible reading as well. The goal is not to perfect one day of reading, but to make a greater commitment to reading daily, no matter if I miss a day.
Conclusion
When you read your Bible, you must define your purpose… why are you reading? Second, you must set time aside to do it and then protect that time. Finally, you must stay at it regardless of any missed reading times; make it up on the next one. The goal is saturation, not perfection, and purpose, boundaries, and consistency get you there.
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14
— January 8, 2026