Daily Devotion
Yesterday and the day before yesterday, I laid out several different Bible reading plans to help you get started reading the Bible consistently in 2024. Today I want to follow up with some practical suggestions to help you in your daily devotional time.
First, I want to emphasize that none of this is law. What I mean by that is there is no specific command in Scripture about having a daily devotional time or doing a daily devotional in a set/specific manner. What we do have in Scripture are exhortations to spiritual growth, an emphasis on the necessity of the intake of the Word of God for that spiritual growth, and multiple examples and exhortations that demonstrate the value of God’s Word for the spiritual battles we face. I shouldn’t need to convince you of the importance of God’s Word in your life, but I don’t want to leave you with the impression that you have to do this a specific way, or that you are sinning against God.
I am reminded of something I heard about an old evangelist. He was confronted by a church lady who rebuked him by saying, “I don’t like the way you evangelize people!” He responded by saying, “Well, I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.” So, I won’t rebuke your way of doing it because any way you do it is better than not doing it at all.
With that in mind, here are some suggestions that might help you with your daily devotional time.
· Have a set time and place. You won’t always be able to do it at that time, but try to pick a time and a place where you know you will be able to consistently have time to pray and read your Bible. For many, that may be first thing in the morning. For some, it might be on your lunch break. For others, it will be in the evening, just before you go to sleep for the night. Do what works for you. And what works now, might need to change as your life circumstances change.
· This goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway…pray. I don’t mean pray generally, although do that too. I mean pray and ask for God’s help in your devotional time. You have to make some decisions and develop a habit, but you need God’s help in this too.
· Use a notebook/journal. You don’t have to write everything down. However, I find it helpful to take some notes on passages that stand out during my reading. Sometimes there are texts that I need to study more in-depth than I have time for in my devotional reading and I make a note of them so I can come back and dig deeper into them when I have time. Many people also find it helpful to write down thoughts they have as they read the Scriptures. These serve them well when they try to remember what they learned from their devotional reading. Writing helps to clarify thinking. You aren’t trying to write a Pulitzer Prize work. It’s not for public consumption. It is for you, so don’t worry about your grammar and penmanship, just write so you can remember.
· Don’t think of this as a get spiritual quick plan. Take the long-term view. Spiritual growth happens gradually, and often slowly. Usually, we don’t even realize it while it is happening. Only when we look back years or decades later do we realize how much we have changed and grown in grace.
· Keep in mind the basic principles of Bible study as you read. Things like the genre, the context, and the meaning of words matter even when you are reading the Bible devotionally. Yes, you want to make an application, but sound application is dependent on sound interpretation. Devotional reading of the Bible isn’t usually the same thing as doing an in-depth study of a passage, but that doesn’t mean we have the freedom to make the Bible mean whatever we want it to mean. If it is a difficult passage, make a note to come back when you have time and do a deeper dive into its meaning.
· Keep in mind that the Bible is a book about Jesus Christ. It isn’t all about you – at least not in a direct way. Don’t insert yourself into every text. Instead, always be looking for what the text teaches you about Christ and the gospel. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a practical application to be made. There is. There always is. But seek first the kingdom of God and all the application will be added unto you.
· When you fail, and you will, don’t let it be the end of this practice in your life. Life happens sometimes and we get sidetracked or aren’t able to keep our plan for the day. See if you can make it happen at a different time that day. And if you don’t or can’t, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, tell the Lord about it, and start anew tomorrow.