It's pretty much understood by most Christians that the Bible is a foundational piece to our walk with God, but have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? We all know that the Word of God brings to us the Person and attributes of our loving and powerful God made evident through the work of Christ, but why is it that we can read the Bible for five minutes before we get carried away with our thoughts?

As much as believers value God's Word, there can be a struggle to reading it. That's because reading in general is not necessarily a practice that many people buy into nowadays. In an age where social media, interactive media, videos, music and micro-content rule our learning, we need practical ways to grow into the practice of valuing God's Word more.

I can't imagine what my life with Christ would be like if there were no Bible. Apart from being pretty functional and helpful, the Word of God adds so much colour, meaning and motivation to everyday life. I believe this can be true for everyone when done in the right way. If you are struggling to dig into your Bible, here are five simple and practical ways to add value to your Bible reading times that will lead to a more powerful devotional experience.

Set apart time when you don't rush. Sometimes when we're in the heat of things, our minds can easily get pulled away from the current task we have at hand. It isn't that different when it comes to reading the Word. We need to actively set aside a time of the day that we will firmly stick to for personal devotionals.

Invest in commentaries, concordances and bible study guides. Supplemental Bible study tools can be expensive, but what's worth something to the quality of your life is worth investing. While supplementary tools are not meant to take away our need for personal revelation, it does help our study significantly by giving us accurate context and background.

Get into a Bible reading plan. There are many Bible reading plans available that can aid you in getting into the Word thematically. While this is something that not everyone will find useful, others do and it just might be the thing for you especially if you're just starting out in your Christian walk.

Start a devotionals group to discuss revelations with. Having a community of people who share the same faith and hunger for God can get you going and excited about reading God's Word and receiving His revelations. Having a group that meets once a week or more over a cup of coffee can be of great help to your Bible reading practices.

Journal your meditations. What's worth writing about is worth digesting. It's good to take mental notes of revelations, but journaling them can be extra helpful given that you can return to previous meditations and even intertwine them.