Today we look at some practical aspects of devotion. Every Christian must have a time of personal reflection and time with the Lord. Church attendance and family devotions are very important; however, these should never replace private time with God. It is essential to your growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus spent much time alone with His Father and we as His disciples must imitate Him and do the same.
One of the methods that I have found successful is to find a quiet place away from distractions. Get comfortable, either by sitting in a chair or standing, and begin to meditate on a small passage of Scripture. For example, recently I focused on the phrase "God is faithful" from 1 Corinthians 10:13. Over and over I thought about God's faithfulness. I thought about how faithful He had been to me over the years even when I was disobedient to Him. I thought about His faithfulness to those I had read about in the Bible. I spoke and thought the words: "God is faithful." After 15 minutes of doing nothing more than think about His promise of faithfulness, I was now ready to petition Him for "our daily bread." Just as God provided manna, i.e. daily bread, for the children of Israel in the wilderness, He would also provide our daily bread today. Why; because He is the same faithful God.
The Bible is full of short phrases that can serve as the basis of a daily meditation. You will never run of choices out because the Bible contains God's complete written revelation to man. This aspect of devotion is called meditation. It is very important and will guide you into the other areas that we will discuss over the next few days. For today, select a verse or a portion of a verse, get alone and get quiet and ponder your selection. Don't rush; enjoy this time of being alone with God. He is waiting.
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