BEST NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION – DAILY DEVOTION

Each morning I like to start off my day with a daily devotion – where I get the opportunity in the quietness of the morning to read God’s word, reflect and pray through it. I also enjoy journaling, so as often as I can, I write down my response to what I’ve just read and how it applies to my life.

Daily Devotions

I know daily devotions are not the easiest of activities to do. Typically, we start off the new year with great intentions and bold ideas on self-improvement and discipline. We plan to exercise every day, eat healthier, spend less, save more, invest in important relationships, spend more time praying and reading God’s word. All good, solid intentions. Until somewhere mid-February when you come across a long chapter in the Old Testament with a list of endless names that you can’t pronounce – and it’s downhill from there.

This past year however, I read a great devotional by Timothy Keller called God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life. It focuses on the book of Proverbs and each day he breaks down a verse and applies it to our lives. More so than in previous years, last year I was disciplined and rarely missed a day of the devotion – which was very rewarding. I’ve included below an excerpt from one of the days in the devotion to give you an idea of the length and flow.

If I’m honest however, not all days were inspiring or deeply enlightening; but remembering why I do it was important and helped keep me steady. I’d like to share with you some of my why’s for what motivates me to pursue daily devotions:

It Brings Focus to My Day

The simple act of reading and reflecting on a passage of scripture helps to put things in perspective for my day ahead. I gain direction and find my thoughts for the day are grounded by this. Over time I have come to see that I handle daily challenges and frustrations better because of moments spent with God.

I Grow in My Relationship With God

For any relationship to flourish, one key ingredient is required – time. It’s no different with God. When I spend consistent time with Him, I learn more about Him and His plans for me.

It Builds My Faith

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to look back and see how prayers I’ve made have been answered and God’s hand has been upon my family.

My daughter-in-law knows I love to journal and she gifted me one titled One Line A Day – A Five Year Memory Book by Chronicle Books. The journal covers an entire year, and one page is dedicated to each day. However, what is unique about this journal is that each page is broken down further into 5 smaller sections for the same day covering 5 years. The idea is for you to complete a full year in the journal making entries each day of your interactions, thoughts, experiences etc. As I started on the second year, I enjoyed reading what I was going through and what impacted me on the exact same day the previous year. I’m just about to start my third year and I’m excited to continue this journey reflecting on prior years and yesterday at the same time.

It Makes Me a Better Person

It’s true; what you spend your time on, is what grows. Through these seasons of developing my spiritual life, I have received correction, direction and transformation in my perspective, thoughts and even opinions. Growing in this area has, I truly believe, made me a better person.

It Gives Me Peace

It’s no secret, we live in a tough, demanding world. Days are not guaranteed, and situations are always changing. Spending time in God’s presence, focusing on His promises and meditating on them, refreshes my soul. It reminds me that I’m not alone.

ACTION STEP:

My reasons for why are by no means an exhaustive list. I encourage you, as you start the new year to develop your own motivations and let those drive you. I assure you, little by little, as you spend time in God’s presence, something extraordinary begins to happen.

I appreciate this may be new to some of you. If you’ve never had a Daily Devotion time, I recommend you start with Tim Keller’s book. Alternatively, you can focus on the Bible or find another plan that’s more in line with your season. Take the opportunity of the new year to also make journaling a priority. It could be as simple as taking time each day to reflect and write down your thoughts, interactions and prayers. Or it could be something more elaborate like the 5-year journal I mentioned above. Either way, find something that works for you and develop the habit. I’m confident you will be highly rewarded.

DEVOTIONAL EXCERPT

I would like to share with you below a sample excerpt of a daily devotional from Tim Keller’s book God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs, Viking Books 2017.

Proverbs 1: 20-21

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech.

GET EXPERIENCE. Here Wisdom invites people to learn from her, but she does so not from the ivory tower but outside, in the public square and public places of the city. Wisdom is developed only in experience. No matter how hard they study, the graduates of medical school, law school, and business school will become truly wise in their fields only out in the open, that is, in real-life experience.

Proverbs is not an “inspirational” book with statements that immediately jump off the page at you. Wisdom cannot be conveyed by a series of TED talks or “executive briefings.” It is inaccessible to people too busy for its method. It comes through first with experience and then with a deep, honest reflection on that experience. It emerges only as we ask searching questions: When did I last see this illustrated in my life or someone else’s life? Where do I need to practice this? How would my life be different if I did? What wrong thinking and attitudes result when I forget this? Remember how often Jesus, our teacher, spoke in parables and answered questions with other questions, trying to get us to reflect, think and grow in wisdom (Matthew 13:10; Luke 20:4; John 16:29).

What has happened to you recently that was significantly good or difficult? Have you reflected on it with others to learn wisdom from it?

Prayer: Lord God, I know far too much about the Bible that I have not prayed and obeyed into my life. Rescue and help me. Keep me from being just a hearer of your Word and not a doer of it. Don’t let me deceive myself (James 1:22). Amen.