Peace, peace, wonderful peace... I would venture to say that most of us desire peace. Most of us seek peace with others, long for peace in our relationships, hope for a peaceful work environment. We are encouraged by Jesus to be peacemakers - creators and bringers of peace. He did not mean worldly peace - security and self-reliance. Instead, the peace that is from God is connected to wisdom, trusting God in the middle of the storms of life, and growth in the Holy Spirit. The peace of God cannot be explained or understood. It is an assurance that there is hope and wholeness available to us in God. Peace was left to us by Jesus Himself (He told us so in John 14). This means that it is the right and inheritance of all God's children to have peace.

I began the previous paragraph with the first line of an old song. When I was younger, I thought the last line was "Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray, in fathomless pillows of love". Obviously, the word is billows, but that word did not make much sense to my younger self. Yet the peace of God can be like a pillow. It is a soft place to rest from the troubles of the world. The peace of God can bring comfort and softness in the midst of difficulty. Maybe we should change the way we sing the sing from now on...

I understand how frustrating it is to realize that something is essential and crucial for your well-being, while still facing the difficulty of not liking it or simply not knowing how to do it. We all know that exercising is vital if we want to have a healthy body, but for some people going to the gym is a pleasure, while others find it boring and unpleasant. Some people find it is really easy to follow a healthy diet, while others struggle every single day. Nobody is perfect.

And when it comes to healthy spiritual habits, some struggle with praying, others with controlling their thoughts and attitudes, and others, well, with reading the Bible. These struggle not because they do not want to—they understand how important and fundamental it is for their spiritual life—yet, they just do not like reading at all.

In my life, I have found that step one in everything is prayer. Start by talking to God and telling him about your struggle with reading. Tell God that you really want to know him more. Tell him that you are interested in discovering everything he has designed and intended for you in this world and in the one that is to come. Ask him to speak to you; he already knows that you are struggling with reading his Word, and he will help you find a way through. Trust him in the process.

I encourage you to be open to discovering new, exciting ways through which you will be able to start to love reading the Bible. Fortunately, nowadays, we have different ways and aids for Bible reading. Our purpose in these devotional days is to give you practical steps and tips that you can explore until you discover the ones that work best for you.

In our fast-paced culture, we are so used to rushing into things and being occupied with tons of activities that we hardly ever take time to meditate. All through the Scriptures, we find verses that encourage us to take time to ponder and feed our minds with the living Word of God.

The first thing that you should consider is that you have to make time for meditation. We tend to find time instead of making good use of time. Time is a tricky resource, and that is why you must make sure that you are using it wisely.

When you choose to make time to read, meditate, and savor the Bible, it does not matter how much you read or how fast you go. Read at your own pace. You do not have to read the whole Bible by Thursday. Learn to enjoy reading even one bible verse at a time. This is your time with God. Allow him to speak to you, think about what he is telling you, and consider the implications of what you are reading.

Meditate on the verse that caught your attention day and night. Study the words and think about them all throughout the day. God promises that if we acquire this habit, we will be prospered and succeed in all we do. Isn’t this a wonderful promise?

If you read one verse and God speaks to you, great! Read it again and again. Let it sink into your mind. Let it seep into your soul. Live it out in your life. Remember that your thoughts become words, your words become actions. Your actions become habits which, through time, will lead to different kinds of results. It all starts in your mind. This choice begins in your thoughts. Each day, we have the choice of life-giving or death-giving thoughts.

Choose the time of the day that best works for you. Some of us are morning people, others are more aware at night. Read whenever you know that you will have the opportunity and privilege of connecting with the most amazing, loving, and interesting person of the entire universe.