Get Started Deepening your
Devotional Life
I know so many people who try to consistently read the Bible. They know it’s good for them. They want to get a lot out of it. They try to be disciplined. But for one reason or another they feel stuck.
Maybe you feel that way. Maybe you’ve read through the One Year Bible, you more or less have a grasp on the Scripture, but you feel like there is something holding you back.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me what my time with the Lord looks like. For years I followed a “Quiet Time” pattern that had me answer the questions, “What do you learn about God?” and “What do you learn about yourself?” While there is nothing wrong with those questions, after awhile I noticed I wasn’t remembering what I was reading and I felt myself becoming disinterested. Sure I’d still read a few pages a day. But it wasn’t as good as I thought it should be.
My seminary professor used to say, “It’s a sin to bore people with the Bible.” Well, it’s even worse to BORE YOURSELF with the Bible!
Thankfully, you don’t have to.
I’ve started using a couple of tools that have transformed my time in the Word. I love it now. I look forward to it every morning. I can’t wait to get up and read the Bible. I leave feeling challenged and I can remember what I read a lot easier.
I’ve been helping college students spend time with the Lord for years. I’d love to try to help you too.
First, let me get a feel for how time in the Word is going for you. Fill out this quick survey about your time reading the Bible.
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Let me know what your time in the Word looks like right now so I can start to help you even more. Click the START button to fill it out.
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How it started to get better...
A few years ago I made a big change. I started a project that has reinvigorated my time with the Lord. It’s put me on a mission. I wake up in the morning fired up to dig into the Word because I know I’m going to find some treasure. I feel like Psalm 19:10 is true of me. Time with the Lord is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.
It can be like that for you too!
I’d love to help walk through what I’m doing in my devotional life. With a little help you can be on the same track with me; loving time with God in His Word, refreshed by what you are learning, and fired up in the morning to get started.
Below I’ve provided some resources that I know will help you. Here is what I’ve been doing…
My Current Journey:
I’m on a mission to know the New Testament. I’ve spent the last few years going verse by verse through all 27 books. I’m about halfway through and still LOVING it every day. You can read more about my strategy in recent blog posts I’ve done this year.
What’s been the key?
Essentially, it has come down to two resources that have propelled this time to the next level. First, I found a Bible that I enjoy writing in. I’ve never been a big journaler. This has made it easy and refreshing to take notes. Taking notes is key!
Second, I use a commentary every day. Some people look at commentaries as nerdy. To me it’s like having a guide on my side. The commentary is walking me through every verse and helping me answer the questions that come up. It’s motivating and keeps me going.
Two Helpful Resources for GREAT Time with God:
Now, obviously you can write notes down in any journal or notebook, but I’ve found this set to be extremely helpful. It gives plenty of space to write and it has extra pages in the back I use to keep track of themes for each book.
My goal every morning is to drill down to the BIG IDEA of each passage. I use some Inductive Bible Study observation tools (which I’ll tell you more about below) and the commentary to help me get to that big idea. That’s been the big GAME CHANGER. Every morning I leave with a simple, memorable phrase that I take with me and meditate on throughout the day.
MacArthur has a single volume commentary, which would be a great place to start, but I’ve been using his commentary set. Each book goes into a TON of detail on every verse. It’s an investment, but worth it if you can buy them book by book as you go through.
**TIP: The links above are affiliates to Amazon. If you use them it actually helps me earn a commission. All those commissions go towards helping me run this site and provide you resources! I appreciate the support! I only recommend resources that I use in my personal life or discipleship. These are 2 I HIGHLY recommend.
How I do it:
MacArthur’s commentary breaks each passage down into sections.
I use those sections as my guide to what I will drill down on for that day. You can see from the picture below I have a system for marking my observations. You should come up with your own way of marking them.
I look for commands, promises, warnings, comparison/contrast, repetitions, reasons for/results of, descriptions, and more.
I’ve created a helpful CHECKLIST you can get that will guide you through those.
Once I study through the passage I read through the commentary to supplement my study. It’s AMAZING the insight it brings.
No pro athlete or business leader could become an expert without professional coaching. Knowing the Bible is no different. It’s so helpful to have a wise guide aiding in your study.
I love John MacArthur’s commentary. But here are two other helpful commentary resources you could use. And these are FREE!
You're Ready!
With those tools you are WELL on your way towards a deeper devotional life!
Hopefully, you found those helpful. If you filled out the survey or got the checklist with your email then you’ll be subscribed to my blog posts. If you haven’t done that yet I’d love for you to subscribe! I’m committed to providing practical tools to help you go deeper in your faith and put discipleship into practice!
