Virtuous Daughters

Lately I went through a Bible study and it gave some ideas as to how to and what you might think about doing, to make your devotions more meaningful.  I thought I would copy those things down for you, as I thought they might be of an encouragement, because you know what? It IS important! I can not stress how important it is for us to mediate on His word day and night! We need this “food” in order to live a thriving life for Him.  Let’s make the best of the time that we have to spend with Him, shall we?

From the Bible Study “Looking at myself, before loving someone else”

  “Wisdom is not learned in a day. It is not something we get simply by reading a book or working through a lesson.  The Bible says “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Wisdom comes from God.  To be wise, we need steady, lifelong exposure to God. This is the primary purpose of setting aside devotional time each day.

  Many people struggle with having a meaningful devotional time.  Following are some pointers:

1.     Keep your commitment to God up-to-date. God wants your devotion more than He wants your “devotions”.  Settle it in your heart and mind that you will follow God no matter what happens, no matter how you feel, no matter where or how long you live.

2.    Set a regular time for your devotions. Establishing a regular time is a healthy discipline.  Obviously, it can become a meaningless ritual, but on the other hand, without setting a time, it easily gets crowded out with other things.

3.    Be systematic in your devotional time. Set goals, do study projects, etc.  Following are examples: (a) Read a chapter from the Book of Proverbs each day for a month. (b) Read through the Bible in one year. (c) Study a particular book of the Bible. (d) Memorize a portion of Scripture. (e) Do a study of a subject relevant to something you are facing personally, such as pride and humility, submitting to authority, moral purity, or a right way of viewing yourself. (f) Do a character study of someone in the Bible whose life you want to learn from – read the pertinent Scriptures, label significant sections of the person’s life, note turning points, list strengths and weaknesses, study his or her contributions to God’s Kingdom, and then make a list of lessons you can learn.  Having goals for your devotional time gives a sense of purpose and helps maintain interest.

4.    Vary your activities. As the above suggestions imply, there are many ways to expose one’s heart to God and His Word. In addition to the above suggestions, you might supplement your Bible reading at times with hymn studies or reading devotional books or Christina biographies.

5.    Write down something from your reading. This can vary depending on what kind of project you are doing. If you are reading in a history section of the Bible, for example, you can use the “Who? What? When? Where? How?” questions to keep track of what you read.  Or you can look for one or all of the following: a command to obey, a promise to encourage, an example to follow, a question to ponder, and an application to your life.  Writing things down not only helps keep you mentally alert; it also helps you remember what you have studied.”

   I pray that this gives you some things to ponder as you work on having a meaningful devotional time with your Saviour. I know keeping a notebook with me as I am reading through the Bible, really helps me. It gives me a place that I can write down the things that come to my mind.  As I see different scripture verses that stick out at me, I can write them down right away, and also why they stuck out to me.  Sometimes something triggers my memory about a prayer need that I need to be praying about, so I stop and write those down as well.  Other times I will come across scripture verses that I can pray, either for myself, my future husband or another person.  And at other times, I will simply read something that I do not understand or something that brings about questions on something that I once believed.  I can also write these down, so that I can later remember them and go look into them, after I am done.

  So you see, having a spiritual notebook can be VERY helpful! You can also write down meaningful things that you read in devotional books or something, too, as well as prayers that you may have at that time.  Personally, I like to get a smaller size notebook that will fit in my Biblecase, as this way no matter where I go, I always have it with me, along with a couple of pens.  J

  I pray that these things will give you all some ideas, Girls.  If you have anything to add, please feel free to write me! I would love to hear about some of your own ideas, as well!

Love always,

Samantha