Anyone ready to venture a guess for the contest and win two free books? My novel, The Rose Journal and its coordinating Bible study, The View From Eternity. So far we have ILIVEBYTHEGOL.... and today you get a great big hint! Just 7 letters to go including the one for this week, which is D, so that leaves only 6! Only immediate family are not able to participate! Each person gets one guess, and does not qualify to win more than one time in each series. We start a new series mid-February.
I hope you had a fabulous Christmas, celebrating the birth of our precious Savior!
Today my mind is focused on the future, the Year of our Lord, 2012. And the best way for me to start the New Year right is to determine to spend quality time each day with my Lord!
Today I open the door to the Devotion Key room. (Did anyone notice that I didn't enter a door last week? The "Light" door? Maybe it is because the light would have been far too strong for me to handle this side of Eternity. Or maybe it is because I wrote the blog the week before Christmas when my brain was stuffed with holiday preparations and the concept of the Key slipped out??? I'll make up for it today! This Devotion Door is nothing fancy, simple sturdy wood with beautiful, artistic grain designs. I open it, expecting to see the grandeur of a garden, ocean or mountain setting, perfect for a quiet time to share with my Lord. But no . . . it is instead filled with people going about their routines of daily life. My hopes for an ideal place for Bible reading and prayer are dashed.
So what am I expected to learn here? Yes, it is coming. Bits and pieces of insights are poking through my tired, semi-muddled mind. Of course! If I was not engaged in the midst of active humanity, what would I find to pray about? Yes, I understand the importance of following Jesus' example of regularly leaving the multitudes to be alone with God. But I must also learn to cope with the interruptions of daily living and recognize those situations as topics I need to talk about with God.
So while I search for that private place . . . which may be over in that corner where I catch a glimpse of fresh air and greenery . . . I will mingle with the crowds, listening for their prayer needs and knowing for a certainty that God is as near to me in a crowd as when I come to Him alone for my "Devotions."
Please notice that the key word"Devotion" for today's blog, is singular, not pluralized. That is because the word "devotions" symbolizes to many of us a duty to preform, not a joy to discover.
Once Jesus becomes the object of my "devotion," my devotions are no longer a duty but a desire.
I checked my old faithful dictionary, copyrighted 1970 (which doesn't seem that old to me!) for the meaning of the singular word "devotion." Here is what I found:
Definition for "devotion": piety, religious worship, prayers, loyalty or deep affection. . . or the state of being devoted."
Let's concentrate on that meaning "loyalty or deep affection." You see, it helps me personally to realize that my Devotions (devotional time with God) springs from my Devotion to Him as my loving Father. Then daily devotions become not a duty, but an opportunity to express my "loyalty and deep affection" to Him! And I want to do that so much, because I earnestly want to be loyal to God because I do love Him, even though my love falls far short of His love for me. Besides that, when any issue or concern enters my mind, my first inclination is to talk it over with Him and ask for His wisdom and peace about the matter. However, I struggle, as I assume many of you do, with setting aside quality time each day to spend alone with God. It seems like at my age, I should have "it all together" but that doesn't appear to be happening!
Here are some ways that have been helpful to me for my own daily devotions, and might be to you, too. I'd be happy to hear suggestions you might have also!
1. Bible before breakfast . . . my husband told me this was a policy at his Bible school. Sometimes I read the Bible before breakfast, but often I read it with my breakfast and my first cup of tea.
2. Accountability . . . A close friend and I have the same chronological Bible (which she gave me :)) that takes us through the whole Bible in a year. We have committed to reading it through every year for the rest of our lives. And sometimes we'll share thoughts and insights with each other, since obviously, we are "on the same page."
3. Keep Bibles in many rooms of the house. . . (Aren't we fortunate here in the United States to be able to own several of these precious books written by God?) Then, if we are caring for children, we can grab a Bible and read some at those unexpected times when they are playing quietly. (I think I remember reading this suggestion by Ruth Graham, and I want to give proper credit! Hope I'm right about that . . . )
3. Pray before getting out of bed in the morning. . . I always make a point to pray at least for my immediate family as soon as I wake up, unless my husband yells "fire" or something of that nature. That tunes my heart and mind to God immediately and gives me the satisfaction to know that my husband, children and grandchildren have prayers "covering" them at the start of their day. I know some of them awake before me, but I assume that my bedtime prayers "held" them until I awoke. :) Or my prayers for them during the night. . . and of course, it is God that "holds" them; my prayers are just a tool He choses to use for His purposes.
4. Have a prayer list or prayer journal . . . Sometimes I pray for others while still in bed, but my schedule is different each day. And if I refer to my prayer book, I know I won't forget to pray for specific people. (I think I'll "devote" a blog to prayer at some point. Too much to even begin to cover in this blog. More than I could ever begin to cover in my lifetime, actually! And, of course, many who are much wiser than me have devoted books to the topic; their books are helpful for me to read.) Some days, I use my prayer book right away in the morning; other days I find some time later during the day to kneel at my bedside; sometimes I pray while I drive (with my eyes wide open :)).
5. Talk to God all day long. . . The Bible says to "pray without ceasing." Even if I am not forming words, I can be aware that God is with me at all times and hears my fervent prayers and understands my quiet appreciation of His companionship. And of course, He's right there to prompt me whenever I need to confess a sinful thought. Wish I didn't have those . . . when I get to heaven, I won't. What a relief that will be!
The main thing is to remember that our Devotional time with God needs to come from our genuine desire to show Him our loyalty and love. And that I is what I want to do all day long!
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