Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma Ballester:
2 Corinthians 8:7 “But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also.”
Paul was encouraging the church in Corinth with this passage, and identifying their strengths. They had asked how they could support the work, and he was explaining that they were doing so much already in their maturity, but yet they could abound even more! The point of this passage of Scripture is NOT to guilt us into "doing more" out of a sense of duty, obligation, or fear. I believe it is more of a reminder not to become comfortable where we are in our walk with God. There are always areas to consider, ways we need to grow, disciplines we're possibly neglecting, or perhaps things in our hearts that aren't quite right. Whether you’re a seasoned saint or a new believer, we all have the need to go DEEPER with the Lord.
The best way to know which areas of your life you need to focus on is not to compare yourself with others, but to slow down a bit and allow the Lord to speak into your life regarding areas that need attention. One of the best ways to do that is to spend time daily in the Word. This is one of the areas in my own Christian life that suffers due to time constraints and over planned daily schedules is my private time with the Lord. It is not hard to sit down and work on bible studies or read books, but I must confess that it is harder and harder these days to simply carve out a set time each day to have my own private devotions with my Heavenly Father, whether at the beginning of the day (it’s sometimes REALLY hard to even get up an extra 15 minutes), or the end of the day (worn out, exhausted, home late, etc. etc.). When this element is lacking in my Christian disciplines, my spiritual life suffers, it is easier to get frustrated with life, to not respond in a way that God wants me to, and to forget the great resources of God’s Word when it comes to applying it to my circumstances. Lately, my dear sisters who mentor with me and I have been keeping each other accountable to read from God’s Word every single day, and it has been a real blessing to me. I get up early, I have a designated place where I sit and read a chapter from the gospels, and then a short chapter from a devotional book, and then spend a few minutes in quiet prayer before I move on into my crazy day. I highly recommend that you find a way to do this every day. If you are not finding time to do this, I want to challenge each of you to try this for a 30 day period and see how it impacts your life in fresh ways. There is no set standard of what a daily devotional time should look like, its really just between you and the Lord. If you have never done this before, here are 7 simple tips that will help you develop the basics elements of a solid devotional into the custom plan that's right for you.
1. Decide On a Time. View your time spent alone with God as an appointment to be kept in your daily calendar, if you do this, you will be less apt to miss or skip it. Remember, there is no “right” and “wrong” time of day. I prefer having my devotions first thing in the morning as this is the least likely time of day for an interruption. I seldom receive a call or have someone at my front door at 6:00 a.m. Whatever time of day you choose, let it be the best time of day for you. Perhaps a lunch break fits better into your agenda. Maybe at the end of your day, it is better to spend time focused on God’s Word before you go to sleep so that its truth lingers in your mind as you sleep.
2. Choose a Place. Finding the right place is key to your success. If you try to spend quality time with God lying in bed with the lights off, failure is inevitable. I decided to make a place specifically for my devotions. I chose a comfortable chair with a good reading light. Next to it I put a basket with all of my "tools" - my Bible, pen, devotional book and praise music as I read. When I get up in the morning, I simply get my cup of coffee, and then go to my place and everything is ready.
3. Choose a Time Frame. You have to decide how much time you can realistically commit to each day. Getting started with 15 minutes a day can quickly develop into more. Some people can commit to 30 minutes, others an hour or more a day. Start with a realistic goal that you feel you can meet.
4. Choose a Bible Reading Plan or Bible Study. This may take some time, but choosing a Bible reading plan or study guide will aid you in having a more focuses time of reading and study. If you just pick up your Bible and start reading randomly each day, you may have a difficult time understanding what you read, or applying it to your daily life. I recommend that you start with one of the gospels. Listen to the words of Jesus. Meditate on the power of HIS spoken words. Carry them with you for the day. You may also choose a devotional book that gives you a verse and a small portion of commentary so that you can think about new perspectives or be reminded of truths that you may have forgotten. The Christian Bookstore has many to choose from.
5. Spend Some Time in Prayer. Prayer is simply two-way communication between you and God. Talking to Him, telling Him about your struggles and cares and then listening for His voice. Some Christians don’t realize prayer includes listening. Remember to give Him time to speak to you in His still small voice {I Kings 19:12}.
6. Consider Spending Some Time in Worship. God has created us to praise Him. I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people ... belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” You can express your praises silently or declare them in a loud voice. Try starting your devotional time with Psalm 5:1-3 "Give ear to my words, oh Lord. Consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for unto Thee will I pray, my voice shall Thou hear in the morning… oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayers unto Thee and will look up.” Such a gentle and wonderful way to start the day, wouldn’t you say? You may even want to play a quiet worship CD in the background during your devotional time. God inhabits the praises of His people, so let worship be a part of your private time with the Lord.
7. Commit to Follow Your Daily Devotional Plan. Keeping your commitment is probably the hardest part of getting started. Determine in your heart to keep it up, even when you fail or miss a day. Rather than beating yourself up when you mess up, just pray and ask God to help you. And, be sure to start over the next day. The rewards you will experience as you grow deeper in love with God will definitely be worth it!
Helpful Tips:
1. Keep working at your daily devotional plan for 21 days. By then it should become a habit and part of your regular routine.
2. Pray for God to give you the desire and the discipline to spend time with him each day.
3. Don’t give up. Eventually you will discover the joys and blessings of your obedience.
4. Find someone to hold you accountable in this discipline. Maybe pray for your accountability partner, and then occasionally check with one another to be sure you are staying faithful to the commitment of daily private devotions.
5. Be flexible. There may be times that it just isn’t possible to have your planned devotional time. When that happens, either change your plan to a later time in the day, or just start fresh on the next. If it happens too often, perhaps you need to re-evaluate your plan for devotions and find a more successful time in your schedule.
I pray for God to richly bless you as you commit to spending one-on-one time with Him. He is waiting to meet with you, He is longing to sit with you and show you His amazing ways as revealed in His Word.
Shalom, sister Lahoma
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