Daily devotions are an essential part of a Christian's life. Every follower of Christ who desires to grow in Christ-likeness will do well to establish a strong, good-quality daily devotional habit.
Why are they essential in a Christian's life?
Some Christians don't realize the importance of having daily devotions. They think that by going to church on Sundays, prayer group on Tuesdays, and other church activities on other days, they're doing well.
That's not enough.
Truth is, establishing daily devotions is more important than any other activity. A daily devotion is the time spent, on a daily basis, seeking God through personal worship, Bible-reading, and prayer.
It is in these daily times with God that we get the opportunity to meet with Him, commune with Him, and be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
These times are very important, priceless even. The Lord Jesus Himself spent time alone on a daily basis, communing with the Father early in the morning and later on as the day ended. He spent considerable time alone with God.
If He did that, then we ought to do it too. Christ prioritized His time with His Father. So should we.
In this article we'll talk about a few practical ways to establishing good quality devotions. If you want to develop consistent and strong devotional times, you'll want to do these:
1) Set aside time alone to seek God, preferably early in the day
If you want to establish strong devotional habits, then you need to make time for it.
Some Christians face difficulty in establishing this precious habit because they don't set aside time for it. Every Christian should know that it's more important to spend time with God than it is with others, and so must set aside time for Him.
The best time to do daily devotions? At the time when you're fresh and awake, and alone. This could be very early in the morning while others are asleep, or in a private space inside your home when no one is around.
2) Recognize that you're communing with our loving God as you spend time praying, reading the Bible, and worshipping Him
Some people can think devotional times are boring and unstimulating. Truth is, it's actually a time to silence ourselves so that we can hear God better. Ecclesiastes 5:2 tells us,
"Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few."
We ought to simply enjoy God's presence as we read His Word, pray to Him, and worship Him. Truth is, He already knows all that we need; do we know what He wants from us?
We must realize that the Person we are communing with isn't just some random guy on the street. He's the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator of all things, the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God who reigns supreme above all.
Yet He's good and loves you and me. Isn't it wonderful to be able to commune with Him?
3) Obey what the Word of God says
Lastly, if we want to be encouraged to continue developing and establishing a strong devotional habit, then we need to learn obedience to God's Word.
The Lord Jesus Himself said in John 14:23,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."
When we obey God, we will have more opportunity to become more intimate with Him. He loves us alright, but we must learn to obey Him so that we can get closer to and more intimate with Him.
