Several years ago, I started paying attention to the testimonies of believers from around the world. As I read story after story, I’ve noticed that the way they engage with the Bible is often very different from how I engage: There are no highlighters, no coffee mugs, and no devotionals or notebooks. But many of … Read more
Dozens of options. I scrolled down the page wondering “how in the world am I supposed to choose one?” It was the first week of January and I was looking for a new Bible reading plan. I wanted something different from what I used for the past couple of years. And someone recommended I check … Read more
Honestly, having a regular quiet time is hard. It’s hard for a variety of reasons from busyness, to kids, to straight-up spiritual opposition. It’s normal for us to go through seasons when having a quiet time feels more difficult than others. In her book Quiet, Naomi Vacaro describes these different seasons. “If you’ve practiced the … Read more
Three Tips to Help You Grow in Your Relationship with Jesus Do you ever come to the end of your quiet time and wonder if you did it right? Does it ever feel like you’re just going through the motions and never getting anything out of it? If so, you’re not alone. Every one of us … Read more
Growing up, my family had devotions together most mornings at breakfast. When us kids were all teens, my dad had the idea for each person to lead devotions once a week, sharing something the Lord had showed us during our own personal quiet time. Occasionally, one of us would come to breakfast with nothing to … Read more
The hardest verse I’ve memorized is Colossians 3:9. I only tackled it because I wanted to memorize the entire book of Colossians. I enjoyed memorizing the first two chapters. However, when I got to chapter three, verse nine, everything in me wanted to quit. Colossians 3:9-10 says, “Do not lie to one another, since you … Read more
Gnarled roots and jagged rock crisscross the mountain trail. I fix my eyes on the path to keep from stumbling. I hike on like this for the next thirty minutes, until my friend interrupts our conversation to say, “remember to look up once in awhile.” At their prompting, I lift my eyes from the rocky … Read more
Has Christmas changed your quiet time? I know it sounds like a strange question. You might not think Christmas has any direct impact on your quiet time. But it does. Before Christmas, the only way people could access God was through a system of priests and sacrifices. The high priest was the only one who could … Read more
We don’t have to settle with spending hours in God’s word without reaping any harvest. God has promised that His word is fruitful, abundant, life-giving, and leads us to JESUS! As Christians, we have the right and the privilege to ask the Author to explain and guide us through His word. We have His very Spirit living within us, ready and willing to turn His word into a well of living water in our lives.
So next time you open your Bible, ask. Ask Jesus for understanding and a love of scripture. Then expectantly look for His goodness on every page.
Have you ever stopped to consider why you have a quiet time? It’s easy to think that as long as we’re having a quiet time, our motive doesn’t matter. After all, doesn’t God just want us to show up, read the Bible, pray? I used to think that way, until God led me through a season where He … Read more