Devoted in the New Year

Most people who have spent any time in church or Sunday School understand that doing devotions, reading scripture, or having some kind of regular interaction with scripture is beneficial for your spiritual health. When we open the Word of God, it allows the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts & minds into the likeness of Christ. If we don’t open the Word of God, it can’t sink into our hearts. Hearing it once a week isn’t enough. We need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God. But there are a variety of other things we can do too that also encourage our Christian walks of faith. So how can we accomplish that in a way that comes easily, naturally, and in a way that makes us crave the Word of God?

If you haven’t developed a regular habit of interacting with the Word of God, here are a few ideas that can help you in the New Year to get into the Word of God with more regularity. Opening the Word of God should be more than just a task on your ‘to-do list.’ It should be something that you do because you want to grow more into the person that Christ created you to be. You should be doing it not only because you want to, but because you want to grow, learn, and become more Christ-like.

1. Open the Word of God – This one is the easiest but often the most overlooked. Put your Bible in a place where it will be seen, used, and interacted with. Your Bible sitting on a shelf will rarely be taken off the shelf, read, or interacted with. However, a Bible that sits on your dining room table, desk, or nightstand has a far better chance of being opened. Opening your Bible is half the Bible. It’s not a hard thing to do, but it does take intentionality.
2. Devotionals – Not everyone is proficient at pulling out the important portions of text, or following texts through one stanza to the next, or using hermeneutics to read the scriptures. This is why devotionals exist. They are widely available in printed / book form, digital / app form, or even audio forms. Use this to your advantage. Don’t feel the need to come up with your content to read the Bible. Feel free to use devotionals as guides to read through the Bible.
3. Online Christian Materials – The internet has provided a wealth of quality online resources for Christians to learn about Jesus and the Word of God. Including devotionals, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc. Not all are created equal, however. Use your best judgment when reading, listening, and watching these resources. Two of my favorites are the YouVersion app and the Bible Project resources.
4. Footprint Your Bible – I am a firm believer in writing in your Bible. I don’t mean writing like the current trend of Bible Journaling. I mean writing prayers, thoughts, notes, heartfelt worries, blessings, verse link-backs, connected thoughts, illustrations, etc. My Bible is almost like a Diary of sorts. I am on my 4th Bible in my adult life; each one reads like a diary of my journey with Jesus through the scriptures. It’s filled with notes, thoughts, prayers, & so much more. It is how Jesus has been transforming my life each & every day with the fruit of it.
5. Prayer – Last, but not least important on this list is prayer. Your entire life and day should be filled with prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving, praises, needs, wants, concerns, gratefulness, hallelujahs, and so much more. Prayer should consume your heart & mind more than any other thing. A rich prayer life is found when your heart is filled with the Word of God.

Thank you for joining me today. See you next time.