While normally I don't spend time on the parent site, this morning I wanted to see what resources they had that might apply to an idea I had for this week's blog entries on devotional study. Much to my surprise, I discovered that they have a page of links to 30 online devotionals. Thirty! Talk about information overload. The featured devotional for the day was Our Daily Bread. Many of you may receive this devotional each month in its familiar CD-sized booklet. I read the Bible passage and devotional thought for the day this morning, and without spending a lot of time on it, it took about 3 minutes. Then I did the math. 30 devotionals at 3 minutes each is an hour and a half. Now, 90 minutes with the Lord would be time well spent. But that time would be better spent in a more cohesive manner, not pursuing 30 different ideas for the day.
Plus, you should be reading this blog, which is sometimes devotional, so that makes 31 thoughts for the day.
The idea behind devotionals is a noble one. Reading or listening to the thoughts of someone who has spent time on a particular Bible passage, and written with eloquence, thoughtfulness, and inspiration is a way to put God's Word to use in our life every day. My hope is that on some days what you read here will encourage you, give you hope for the day, or provoke thoughtful reflection on the passage we're reading together. This week, I want to concentrate on the best devotional ever written. It's the one that you'll write each day. Let's get started.
We're going to take this in very small chunks. The first thing you need is some time. We're now more than three months into our read through, and so you've probably found a small block of time in your day, which is a really cool thing to have done, especially if it's new to you. If you're just at the five minute mark, you'll probably need a second block of five minutes to do this. If you're reading some other devotional, then put a hold on it for this week. Also, since a part of this time is spent "meditating", that's something you can do at idle moments, like waiting in line at the bank. (Does anyone do that any more, or is it the drive through ATM?)
The first step, which should be a part of your reading already, is to spend some time in prayer. I like to keep it really simple. My prayer might be no more than 30 seconds before starting my reading, just enough time to slow down. The heart of that prayer might be something like this, "Lord, take away all distractions, and be here illuminating my time in your Word today." Then do the reading. Have some paper and pen or pencil handy, or computer if you're able to use it for these kinds of tasks. (Some days I can use the computer, other days I need to just do some chicken scratches in a notebook because the computer tends to make the writing too formal at this stage.)
As you read, if you come across any parts of the passage that really interest you, make a note of the verse(s). Try to get through the chapter in one coherent read, without worrying about any rabbit trails, unpronounceable words, difficulties, or other distractions, until you've finished reading the entire chapter.
Done? Take a deep breath. Now you need to think about what you read, and make a few additional notes. What's the big picture or main thought from the chapter? How does it relate to what you've read over the last few days? If there's not one primary thought, then what was interesting that you noted earlier? Once you've jotted down a few impressions from the passage, you're ready for the next step, which we'll talk about tomorrow.
Here's the beginning of my devotional thought for the day from Matthew 8. I'll develop it a little further than what we've talked about so far in this post. The story of the centurion in verses 5-13 really stood out for me today. The centurion's understanding of authority, and the way in which Jesus' commends his faith and contrasts it with the faith of many in Israel were even bigger to me than Jesus' calming the storm. The previous chapter ended with the people's reaction to Jesus' teaching: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (Matt. 7:28-29 NIV)
Jesus not only taught with authority, but in Matthew 8, we learn that His authority extended over disease and sickness, over the forces of nature, and over the spiritual forces of evil. Recognition of His authority is a key component of faith. As I go through the day, are there areas of my life where I'm more like the guys in the boat in the storm, than I am like the centurion who knows what authority is really about? I want to see those areas clearly today, write them down, and ask for help in rooting them out of my understanding of the way things work. I want to be reminded of the centurion's words: "just say the word and ..."
Reviewing what we covered today:
- Set aside a block of time
- Pray
- Read (jotting down significant verses only)
- Think and write (big picture, initial impressions)
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