Be prepared

There is nothing worse than turning up to lead a Bible study group and finding that no-one has read or thought about the passage you're going to work through, even though everyone has known in advance what the topic will be, had notes or a workbook to help guide them.

Actually, I can think of plenty of far worse things. Including having (or being) a Bible study group leader who hasn't prepared for the session.

Excuses abound: a hard week at work, family issues, just not enough time or energy. This is why accountability and openness are important. It is far too easy to wing it - we're too polite to tell someone to their face that we think their contribution to the study was worse than useless.

It is a question of priorities. If something is important to us, we will make time for it; going over the material to syudy or meditate on during a lunchbreak, over a coffee with a good friend, in the early hours of the morning while everyone else in the house is asleep.

It's also a question of perspective. Why do you want to do the homework? What benefit will it ultimately bring to you? Understanding that is a key to developing perseverence when the going is not so easy.