Daily Devotions

One of the things that I have the hardest time doing is setting aside time to do my own personal devotions. One of my goals is to read scripture every day. Unfortunately, like some of my other goals, like exercising, this does not always happen.

My mornings are too busy getting the girls ready to go to school to do it. Then I’m busy as soon as I walk into the office and the day flies by, and then I’m picking up the girls from school, making dinner and putting the girls to bed. After the girls are asleep, if I’m not in a meeting at church then I’m trying to get everything else done around the house that I couldn’t do with the girls awake, and then it’s bed in order to do it all over again the next day. I know I am preaching to the choir about how hectic our lives have become. But, as a result, my personal devotions often get left behind.

I tell myself that I don’t have time to do them, but really it’s that I have not made the time. I am too focused on the immediate tasks to focus on some of the bigger picture items in my life. Because of that I do not gather and take in the spiritual energy that I need in my life. I do not give God the time to “restore my soul” as the 23rd Psalm says, and that means I am not functioning as well as I could if I did take the time. Does this sound like your life too?

In order to try and rectify this, I recently signed up to receive daily email devotions from the Upper Room. The Upper Room is operated by the Global Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. Many of you have been using the Upper Room devotionals that are found at the back of the sanctuary, and the email devotion is the same is in the printed copy. Each day there is a scripture passage (the passages are often longer in the email version than the print copy), a prayer, thought for the day, and then a short reflection on the scripture passage. The reflections are submitted by Upper Room users from throughout the world.

Because the first thing that I do when I come into the office, or when I log on from home, is to read my email, this allows me to make the devotion a part of my work schedule. I am not putting off other things in order to do my devotions, although that really should be my goal. But, by doing it this way, because I have to read and respond to my email anyways, I make it a part of my routine. The first email I read now is my devotion. My goal is to still increase my devotional time, but the longest journeys always start with one step. If think this might help you as well, you can sign up to receive the daily email through the Upper Room website.

In addition, if you have not been in church for the past few weeks, you have missed a new insert that we are trying out which contains daily scripture readings that correspond to the readings covered on Sundays. I have discussed with a couple of people that these readings could also be sent out via email on a daily basis, published on the church’s website, put on the Facebook page, or however you feel it would help you to make them a part of your daily spiritual practice. However, we need a critical mass in order to get this project started. If you are interested in receiving an email with these scripture readings, or if you have an idea for another way the church can assist in your daily devotions, please let me know.

In order to deepen our relationship with God, we need to be doing more than just showing up for one hour of worship each week. Instead, it needs to be something we do each day. If you do not already have a daily spiritual practice, maybe you’ve just needed an invitation. Well here it is….