This post concludes our series of reflections on personal devotions written by individuals from many different walks of life. This reflection was written by Titus Kamps, a member of Faith PRC.
Introduction
We hear about various people around us talking about doing personal devotions, such as our parents, other members of our congregation, or our pastor, but what does that mean for me? Do I have a devotional life now? Have I ever tried to do personal devotions? Are personal devotions to be consistent and daily, or am I inclined to do them every once in a while? Have I started a while ago, but now they are not existent today? Do I consider the family dinner table devotions my personal devotions? Have I even tried doing them at all?
All these questions are good for anyone in the church to consider and to examine in their lives. Probably for many of us, our answer would be in the negative to most of the questions. We may have had a tremendous trial in our life where we relied on God and started doing devotions regularly. However, our tendency is that when life is challenging we search the Bible to glean truth and comfort, but when life is easier and merrier, we tend to drift away from this discipline in our lives.
Maintaining Discipline in Doing Personal Devotions
A few things I find helpful to discipline myself is to set a time (or times) to do them everyday. I personally find the mornings to be the best. I love the mornings because it sets a precedent for the day. Reading from the word of God will put you in the proper frame of mind right away, and you can take those truths you read with you throughout your day. I find if you set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than when you normally wake up, it gives you the 15 minutes a day needed to start a good habit of personal devotion time. I would recommend a quiet place with no distractions. Personally, I have tried both devotional books and only Bible reading. Often, I’ll read about a chapter per morning, but in my mind it’s quality over quantity. I urge you to focus on worship rather than a checklist of items you need to get done. The book of John is my favorite devotional book in the Bible. The book is easy to read and has many applicable life lessons, and additionally, Jesus has an amazing way with words and teaching. This book always leaves me in awe of Jesus Christ my Savior.
If you try to start using a daily devotional book, these can be very helpful also. I often find most books have only a verse to meditate on, and then the rest of the page are spiritual thoughts to contemplate and apply to your life. I usually try to read the entire chapter of that verse given in the devotional and also the meditation. I find the chapter and God’s word to be more personally fulfilling spiritually than only one verse. I encourage you to try multiple ways and find what fits you the best and what is most helpful for your worship.
By Titus Kamps
Young Calvinists 