Hello Church family,
Today, as we celebrate Women’s Emphasis Day, a significant event in our church calendar, I want to share a valuable resource I recently discovered. The General Conference website features an article with 10 practical ideas to reignite our passion for reading the Bible and enriching our devotional time. This resource is particularly fitting for our celebration today, and I’m excited to share it with you, my dear sisters in Christ.
What if my devotional time has become stale, brief, or nonexistent? Here are ten ideas to spice up your devotional time.
- Go outside. When I try to read the Bible, it’s easy to get distracted by my cell phone, to-do list, kids, or even pets. Going outside takes care of that (especially if I leave my phone inside). Did you know that the brain engages better during walking?
- Memorize Scripture. Use the moments while driving or even washing dishes. Try the Bible Memory App, which uses typing to help with memorization. Set a memorization goal with a friend. Also, reading a chapter aloud twice every morning and evening for a week makes memorization easier.
- Read a GLOW tract.Why not read a GLOW tract or other piece of sharing literature? You can even highlight statements that are meaningful to you. Then, create a two-sentence summary of what you’ve read and what it meant to you, and practice saying it aloud. You’ll have something to say when you can share with someone during your day.
- Have hymnal devotions.The Adventist hymnal is fertile ground for devotions. Choose a hymn and read or sing it. Then, look up the biblical references the hymn uses in the index at the back of the book and meditate on each one.
- Find joy in journaling. Elisabeth Elliot writes, “Copying the words [of a verse] into my journal helps me to obey them on the spot.”1Although writing by hand has lost popularity these days, writing out Scripture helps me to focus on the words and apply them. Imagine the joy of the faithful scribes who copied the Scriptures by hand and how those words impacted their lives. In your quiet place, try writing a verse or reference to some verses at the top of a page and jotting down your thoughts about those verses, or find some colored pencils and draw a picture of something that pops out at you. It’s between you and God, and it doesn’t need to be “good enough” for other eyes, but it will remind you of a special moment with your best friend.
- Go to the Gospels. Listening to or reading a story from the life of Jesus is like a shot of adrenaline for me. I see the point quickly and can apply the lessons immediately. Ellen White said, “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.” Must you spend precisely an hour? Not necessarily, but the more we think about Jesus, the more remarkable He becomes to us. We may find the experience so inspiring that we don’t want to stop.
- Change it up.If you usually study the Bible before your prayer time, why not switch the order and pray first for a change? There’s no one correct way. Try this model: 15 minutes studying the Bible, 15 minutes reading another spiritual book, and 15 minutes praying. Or take more time than before—if you’ve habitually carved out 15 minutes for Bible study and prayer, why not try 20? And if you’ve enjoyed 45 minutes regularly, why not give God an hour?
- Consider audio.While many people like to read, you may sometimes prefer to listen to a Bible story, free online sermon, or podcast from AudioVerse.org. Bible apps such as You Version or Blue Letter Bible let you listen to Scripture while allowing you to read along on your device and highlight or take notes electronically. They also offer helpful Bible reading (or listening) plans.
- Choose a verse of the day. During your time with Jesus, choose one verse for the day. It’s better to focus on one or two verses than to read chapters without thinking about them. When you carefully study a verse, picking it apart phrase by phrase, the passage sticks in your mind and becomes food for your soul during the day. To personalize what you read, put your name in the verse. For example: “Bless the Lord, O (your name here); and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1).
- Try inductive study.When someone finally showed me how to study the Bible inductively, I was awed that I could find spiritual food every time I opened the Word! Amazingly, God speaks to me just as He would speak to a preacher or anyone else. The first step is observation, or objective fact-gathering (What does the text say?). I read it extremely slowly, asking simple questions that begin with who, what, when, where, and why. Next comes interpretation (What does the text mean?). This is where I look at the author’s meaning and historical context, making connections with other passages in the Bible. Then comes application (What does this text mean to me?). Applications to my life begin to surface, and I ask God what He wants to tell me personally through that passage.
APPLY IT
Applying what you have learned is vital, no matter what you read or listen to during your Bible study time. Simply ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6). Listen for God’s voice. “When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God.” Then, do what He tells you. “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).
KEEP IT
Psalm 25:5 says, “On You, I wait all the day.” How do you keep the Lord with you all day? Here are some ideas. Before you leave that holy ground where God has spoken, look for a takeaway that can stay with you. Try writing the thought or verse on an index card to put on your desk at work or carry in your purse. Please make a note on your phone, or e-mail or text it to yourself to remember it throughout the day. At lunchtime, take a moment to pray and review what you learned in the morning. Ask the kids at the dinner table if they remember the thought from family worship.
SHARE IT
How about telling someone your verse for the day or what you heard God say to you?
Happy Sabbath!
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