Personal Devotions - Part 1
One of the areas that Christians often seem to struggle in is that of personal devotions. Many Christians seem to feel that they are either not doing enough or that their devotional times are ineffective or filled with distracted thoughts. This blog posting and maybe 1 or 2 more will be devoted to sharing something of my story of personal devotions in the hope that it will be helpful to others.
I normally start my day with devotions. When my alarm clock goes off in the morning, I often lie in bed for a few minutes looking out the window and wondering whether it is possible for my clock to have gained a couple of hours overnight. Although I love my devotional times with God, I seldom bound out of bed with enthusiasm, it normally takes me a few moments to get going.
First things first. I wander down to the kitchen and make myself some coffee. In our household I also make sure the dogs are fed, because if I don’t they become restless and noisy (barking), which has a direct impact on the quality of my devotions. It is hard to be spiritual while at the same time calling the dogs to order through the window. By the time I get to my study and have my bible open in front of me about 15 minutes have passed since my alarm went off.
I generally start my devotions by reading a passage of scripture. I have been reading according to a bible reading plan for about 5 years now, which for me has been a hugely valuable tool. Every day I read a portion of the Old Testament and the New Testament. My reading takes me between 15 and 20 minutes and I underline and highlight verses along the way that I feel are specifically significant for me or where God is speaking to me. This helps me to concentrate and remain focused while I read. Whether I feel like it or not, I always read the bible. I may change other aspects of my devotions if I find that I am becoming stale, but I never change the pattern of reading the Word. Next week I will spend time on the subjects of prayer and worship.
to be continued….