By:Chris V If you've grown up in the church, you've probably heard about daily devotions. Parts of daily devotions can range from reading the Bible and meditating on God's Word to praying to God. Sometimes, though, it can be tough to find time to do your devotions every day. Sometimes, we buy into Satan's lies about how we don't have enough time to read the Bible. But, I can't even to begin to tell you how important reading the Bible is! In fact, I've made a list of five points to express how important daily devotions are. 1. It brings you closer to God Do you remember when you first met your best friend? How did you get to know them? If you're like most people, you probably asked them questions! So, how do you get to know God? It's like when you met your best friend! You get to know God through reading the Bible and prayer. When you ask questions about God, you can find the answer in the Bible. When you want to have a conversation with God, pray! (He'll always listen!) Also, James 4:8 says "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need." Not only will God draw closer to you as you draw closer to Him, but He will give you comfort and grace during a rough season in your life. Isn't that great?! 2. You Will Produce the fruits of the spirit Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruits of the spirit are "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...". How are we supposed to grow and produce these fruits in our lives if we're constantly drinking up the junk (magazines, TV shows, movies, social media...) of this world? The answer is to dig into God's Word! The Bible says that "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-10). When you increase in knowledge of Christ, you become more Christ-like and start to produce the fruits of the spirit. 3. It results in Peace Do you ever feel like you're stressed out, weary and exhausted? Maybe after a hard week at school and/or work? Do you ever wish there was peace in your life, mentally and spiritually? I've got some great news! The Bible says you can grow in peace! In 2 Peter 1:2 it says, "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." Having grace and peace in this hectic world sure sounds nice, doesn't it? We can grow in grace and peace by growing in the knowledge of our Savior- Jesus Christ! How do we gain knowledge of our Savior? By reading the Bible! 4. It Gives You the Heart to serve Others Lately, I've been running from place to place serving others. First thing on the day's agenda is helping Student Council sell things as a fundraiser. Next, I race off to see if anyone needs help setting things up for a project, a military recruitment booth, etc. By the end of the day, I'm exhausted from severing others and I wake up the next day and do the same thing. Part of what keeps me going is knowing that Jesus experienced the same thing when He was on this earth! Mark 1:33-35 says, " And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Did you catch that? After serving all day the day before, Jesus got up, early in the morning, to go meet with His Heavenly Father. When we do daily devotions and meet with the Lord every morning (or night, depending on when you prefer to do your devotions), we have our "heart check" for the day. God helps prepare us to serve others by giving us grace and peace throughout our day when we meet with Him. As 2 Timothy 3:17 says "...that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.", we need to be in God's Word daily to prepare our heart to serve others. 5. Your day starts off in the right direction Psalm 119:105 tells us that "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.". The Bible clearly points to the ways God wants you to lead your life. For example, in Matthew 17: 13-14, it says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." In this world, we often chase after things (like beauty, popularity, etc) and, sometimes, it takes over our lives and our minds off of what really matters-God. The way you act and think throughout your day is determined by what you set your mind on. If the main focus of your day is Christ and glorifying Him-because of daily devotions- you're more likely to think about how you can glorify God throughout your day than how you can benefit yourself with selfish gain. The Importance of Daily Devotions You may be able to tell that the points above all connect in some way. And they do! I don't even know where to begin on expressing how daily devotions impact your life, your relationship with God, and your walk by faith. If you want to start your day right, start by reading the Bible, going through a devotional, and praying! Not only will you grow in faith, but in grace and truth as well. I hope you'll join me in a thirty day bible reading challenge, and over the next thirty days, choose a book of the Bible and read through it! In the comments below, let me know what book of the Bible you chose to read and let me know what you learned!
For more information on this topic, check out Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book A Place Of Quiet Rest!
2 Comments
Chris V
2/16/2020 01:14:16 pm
Hey guys! I thought I'd let you know I'm planning on reading through Proverbs over the next thirty days! I'm hoping to learn how to be a woman of wisdom instead of a woman of folly.
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2/9/2022 04:42:21 am
I do agree that devotionals are an essential part of Christian life as it sparks leadership with passion and heart. It would be nice to think that even when you are tired of reaching out to people, reading the gospel gives you the strength to go through each day. So, it's important that we reach out and find ways we can have a moment to reflect every day.
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