This continues a series of reflections on personal devotions written by individuals from many different walks of life. This reflection was written by Ethan Mingerink who is a teacher at Covenant Christian High School and attends Unity PRC with his wife and children.
A great habit during personal devotions is repetition. You’ve probably heard that many times. Repeat the place, time of day, etc. to build habits. While that’s very beneficial (perhaps even essential for true habit building) there is another element of repetition that is worth taking a look at: repetition of reading.
How often do we read a passage, meditate on it, maybe journal on it, and then the next day re-read what we have just read the previous day? It wasn’t something that had been on my radar until one day I had my bookmark in the wrong place and started re-reading a passage I had read the previous day. Suddenly, I started finding that I was getting new thoughts and understanding parts of the passage differently having already read it once very recently.
Since then, repetition has become a regular part of my devotional practice. You don’t always have to re-read immediately, but have it in your mind. Re-read a chapter perhaps when you finish. Or, re-read a whole book once you’ve finished reading a book. Re-reading it shortly after having read it once before can help you get a fuller and more well-rounded view of what God is teaching in the whole of the book as you see different themes, messages, connections, etc. that were tied and woven throughout the book.
My prayer for you is that you can continue to grow in your devotional life with your God, learn to know Him by His Spirit. Remember how awesome and loving your God is and have this truth singing in your heart:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” I Peter 1:3-5
By Ethan Mingerink
Young Calvinists 