In a note Jim wrote to his sister Jane, 1941: Begin each day with private reading of the Word and prayer. Bunyan has said well, "Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin." From the very first, as you begin [high school] give out gospel tracts to those you meet. Make a bold start-it's easier this way, rather than trying to begin halfway through. Memorize scripture in the streetcar. Buy up the time! It's costly because it's so fleeting.
About his morning Bible reading and prayer Jim wrote:
None of it gets to be old stuff. For it is Christ in print, the Living Word. We wouldn't think of rising in the morning without a face wash, but we often neglect that purgative cleansing of the Word of the Lord. It wakes us up to responsibility.