Sometimes we forget to read the Bible. We’re tired, busy, or simply too entertained. Night comes, and while we’re lying in bed, we suddenly remember and think, “Oh! I’ll read it tomorrow.” Yet the next day, it happens all over again.
The same thing can happen with prayer. We want to talk to God, but first we do one thing, then another, check our phone, scroll for a few minutes, put something on TV, and before we know it, the day is over.
Jesus Himself said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). I think we can all understand that. We can genuinely want to draw closer to God and still struggle with our own lack of discipline. The flesh will always prefer what is comfortable, easy, quick, or entertaining. Many times, it isn’t that we have made a conscious decision to walk away from God; we simply start giving priority to other things without even realizing it.
Lukewarmness
As Christians, we need to be very careful, because if these habits are repeated often enough, they can lead us into spiritual lukewarmness. Even so, we also need to remember that one day without reading your Bible does not automatically make you a lukewarm Christian.
In Revelation 3:15–16, Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea and tells them that they are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. A few verses later, however, we see an important detail about their condition. They said, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing,” yet they failed to recognize their true spiritual need (Revelation 3:17). Being lukewarm is not simply being tired on a Tuesday and falling asleep before reading your Bible. It is something much more concerning. It happens when we begin to feel comfortable far from God, stop recognizing how much we need Him, or simply stop caring about our spiritual life.
A person can love God and still have a disorganized, exhausting, or lazy day. What also matters is what we do once we realize what is happening. If Tuesday passes, then Wednesday, then an entire week, and we notice that little by little we have been drifting away, we need to be strong and brave enough to return to God and allow conviction to set in: “I’ve been neglecting my relationship with God. I need to start giving Him my time again.” The key is being able to recognize it, ask God for forgiveness and strength, make changes, and draw close to Him again.
Stones in the Way
Unfortunately, life is not always sunshine and roses, and we do not always respond in the right way. That is where another problem comes in. Now we are no longer only neglecting our own relationship with God; we can also begin to affect the people around us. Let me explain, because I don’t want you to fall into this trap: sometimes we see another person doing the very things we know we have been neglecting. We see that person who, rain or shine, goes out to evangelize, goes to church, attends Bible study, reads the Bible, journals, talks about God, goes on mission trips, looks for opportunities to serve… and we begin comparing ourselves, sometimes without even realizing it.
“I’ll never be like her.”
“Look at everything she does, and I barely have time for anything.”
Or maybe sometimes the thoughts in our head sound more like this:
“She’s way too fanatical.”
“Everything can’t be about church.”
“There are other things in life too.”
Of course there is work, family, responsibilities, rest, and many other things that are part of our lives. Even so, before criticizing someone else’s devotion, we should stop and ask ourselves why it bothers us so much. Sometimes we call something fanaticism simply because the discipline behind it confronts us. When someone else’s devotion confronts our own spiritual laziness, we can become uncomfortable with that person instead of allowing their example to inspire us.
Maybe we know we could give God more of our time. We’ve been saying for weeks that we’re going to start studying the Bible again, pray more, or begin fasting, yet somehow we feel as though we never have even five minutes for Him. Then, when someone standing right in front of us is doing exactly what we know we could be doing better, their example can stir up insecurity. At that point, the problem is no longer just our lack of discipline. We can also become a stumbling block for someone else.
Romans 14:13 says, “Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” Becoming a stumbling block does not always happen because we consciously want to pull someone away from God. Sometimes it happens through our comments, our jokes, or our constant attempts to minimize what another person is doing to draw closer to Him.
But why do we do that? Most of the time, it comes from insecurity. Maybe we subconsciously think God loves that person more because they do more than we do. Maybe comparing ourselves makes us feel like bad Christians. Perhaps we think, “If she does all of that and I don’t, am I even right with God?” Or maybe we are simply afraid that we are not doing enough, or that we ourselves are somehow not enough before God. Still, our salvation has never depended on collecting religious activities or competing to see who is the “most Christian.” Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
The Grace of God
God did not begin loving you because you started reading the Bible every day. He does not stop loving you because yesterday you were exhausted and never opened it. Our relationship with God does not work like a points system. Still, the same passage goes on to say that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
Grace does not remove our desire to seek God. On the contrary, when we understand what He has done for us, we want to know Him more, obey Him, and allow Him to transform our lives. So maybe the question should not be, “Am I doing as much as that person?” A better question might be, “Am I genuinely seeking God within the life I have?” That is where a little introspection becomes necessary.
When someone else’s devotion bothers me, where is that reaction coming from? Do I genuinely believe that person is doing something wrong, or do I feel confronted because I have been neglecting my own relationship with God? Am I comparing myself? Do I feel like I have to do certain things in order for God to love me? Or, deep down, do I know that I could give Him a little more of my time and simply haven’t been doing it?
Because many times, we really are tired. God sees when you have worked all day. He sees your responsibilities, your children, your home, your studies, your job, and those days when you simply have nothing left to give. But He also knows when it isn’t exhaustion. He knows when we simply would rather do something else, and no matter how much we try to pretend otherwise, He knows our excuses. So we need to admit it and talk to God about it.
Maybe today you did not read five chapters of the Bible, but you talked to God for ten minutes while driving. Maybe you worshiped Him through a song. Maybe you listened to the Bible while cooking. Maybe you helped someone. Maybe you had an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. Maybe before going to bed, all you could do was sit down for a few minutes and tell God about your day. That is also part of having a relationship with Him.
Seeking God does not mean that every day has to look exactly the same or that we have to follow the same routine as that Christian influencer we saw online. It also does not mean living our lives counting minutes to determine whether we were “good enough Christians” that day, but it does require intention.
Priorities
If every day I have thirty minutes for television, an hour for a video game, time to check social media, and time for many other things I enjoy, but somehow I can never find a few minutes for God, it may be worth admitting that the problem is not always a lack of time. Sometimes it is a lack of priority. Thankfully, our priorities can change.
We can start with five minutes. Opening the Bible and reading a passage does not mean you have to read the entire Bible or become the next famous theologian. You can start with one chapter or even spend time reflecting on a single verse. You can talk to God while you walk, listen to the Bible while exercising, cooking, or driving, or begin looking for opportunities to serve and tell others about Him.
We do not have to copy someone else’s spiritual life exactly. We are all different. What matters is that we also have a real relationship with God and that we do not become comfortable living a life where He always receives whatever time is left over.
When we know that we are sincerely seeking Him, we no longer need to feel so threatened by what someone else is doing. If someone wants to read the Bible more, we can be happy for them. If they want to evangelize, we can support them. If they are excited about going to Bible study, we do not have to extinguish that enthusiasm. Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” That is the opposite of becoming a stumbling block. We can encourage and inspire one another, look at someone else’s discipline, and think, “It’s wonderful to see God working in their life. Maybe I can draw a little closer too.”
The next time someone else’s devotion makes us uncomfortable, perhaps before criticizing them, we can stop and ask ourselves, “What is happening inside of me?” Maybe God is using that very example to show us something while we remain too focused on our own ego to see it. We do not need to compete with anyone else’s faith. We also do not need to put out someone else’s fire just to feel better about our own. We can simply return to God. “Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8).
Maybe today that means reading the Bible, talking to Him while doing something around the house, worshiping Him, serving someone, or sharing your faith. What matters is that we keep drawing closer to God and, when we see someone else doing the same, instead of becoming a stone in their path, we can step aside, let them continue walking with God, and be someone who encourages them to keep going.
Photo by Heidy M. Pedroza
Place: Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve
© 2026 Perennial Word. All rights reserved.
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