Daily devotions were not always a regular thing for me. Yes, I was hungry for the word, and would read it. But I never really knew what you were supposed to do with it. When I came to Christ, there wasn’t anyone around to show me how to read my Bible or put it into practice in my life. So, I hunt and pecked, and sporadically read my Bible.
Reading my Bible daily did not become a regular habit until I started Bible College.
There are many ways to read your Bible. One of my favorite ways is journaling.
I Will share with you how I journal. At the end of this post you can enter a drawing for your own journal and $5 Starbucks gift card, so you can sit down, have coffee or tea with God and get to know Him Better.
- I always begin with prayer, usually something like this: Jesus, show me what you want me to see in your word today. In Jesus name, Amen.
- At the top of the page of your Journal or blank piece of paper, write down the date and the scriptures you are reading for that day. There are many Bible reading plans available. www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily has many to choose from.
- I like to make notes as I read, sometimes I write in my Bible, sometimes in my journal. I also underline or highlight scriptures that stand out to me while I read.
- After I am done reading, I write down in a few paragraphs what I feel God is speaking to me through His word that day.
- Underneath that paragraph I write out an application; how I can put the word of God into practice, being a doer of the word and not a hearer only (James 1:25).
- At the end of my journal entry, I write down the verse or verses that most spoke to me that day. I keep these handy when I want to find verses to memorize.
- End with prayer. This doesn’t always have to be on paper, but I do pray when I’m finished reading my Bible. I talk to the Lord about what I just read, and how I can implement that into my life, or find encouragement from it. I speak to Him about things that are on my heart. Sometimes I will go back over the scriptures I’ve underlined and use those as prayer points.
And now for the drawing.
To be entered into the drawing for a journal (pictured) and $5 Starbucks gift card, simply comment on this post. On Friday April 5th I will write down the names of all commenter’s and draw a winner. I will notify the winner via email and get your shipping information then.
Do you Journal your devotions? If you do how is it different than the way described above? How is it the same?
Katya hronek! 😀
I like to rewrite verses that stand out to me, because I find if I don’t I never go back and look them up but I will reread them and then notice a patter or a point the Lord is trying to get across to my heart or a change in my thinking. I write the word PING next to things that I’ve heard repeatedly from church, radio, song, friend, a message on a sign I drove etc to remind me that God speaks through the Bible, prayer circumstance, the church, and people and I DO indeed hear his voice. That’s it because HE is the one that reveals spiritual truth, it’s not my own bright ideas that are directing me.
I like to rewrite verses too. God bless you!
I’ve never had a journal… ever… But for a few months now I have been writing a daily blog, kind of like a journal, except in article form and it really has taught me a lot about bible study and it has brought me closer to the Lord.
Please do not include me in the drawing 🙂
God bless you!
First, I try to make my devotion time out of live and not work. I start by listening to God, reading the bible then meditating and praying on it. I then write or summarize the time and scriptures the time spent with Him. I do have a reading plan but it is different from devotional time
Love not live
This is great Cheryl!
Carolyn, I like to write down any verse(s) that caught my attention. Then I like to write out a prayer because it is so inspiring to read them years later and see how God worked things out for good.
Blessings ~ Wendy
That is so cool that you write the prayers out to see what God has done… Blessings on you!
Congratulations to Cheryl! She won the journal and Starbucks gift card!