I'm linking up over at Kelly's Corner again for another "Show Us Your Life" post. Kelly wants to know what her readers' favorite Bible studies and devotionals are.
To be honest, although I have been a Christian since I was 8 years old, I haven't done much of any Bible studies yet. I've gone through one or two with Sunday school classes in the past, and I've also read through parts of different devotionals here and there, but until just recently, I had a very difficult time staying "committed" to having a daily Bible study time. I'm one of those people who had the same New Year's resolution every year to read my Bible every day, but by the second or third week of the year (if not sooner), that resolution had already gone down the drain. I would just busy myself with other things, telling myself that I would have my time with God later, and when "later" came around at the end of the day when I was crawling into bed, I was always too tired. SO selfish, huh?
That has been my "story" for YEARS now. Thankfully, however, God has really been working on my heart lately. I have been struggling internally for a WHILE now, and about 7 weeks (or so) ago, I couldn't run away any longer. I knew that I was not devoting myself to God at all like I was supposed to or NEEDED to. When I was 8 years old, I said a prayer and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and be my Savior. And I meant it. I know without a doubt that I was saved that day, but since then, I have learned that there is SO much more to the Christian life than just saying a prayer and being baptized. God has lovingly been opening my eyes to the fact that "my" life really IS NOT about ME at all. If I truly want to thrive in my walk with Christ, I have to "die" to myself and live for Him and Him alone. I cannot chase after my own selfish desires and constantly put other people and things in front of God and still expect to be in His will.
Like I said, I had been wrestling with God for a long time with all of this. It's like I could literally hear Him calling out to me, but for whatever reason, I kept running. I don't know why. I'll never understand why. Why on earth would anyone run from such a loving God? But we all do it, don't we? Anyway, like I said, about 7 weeks ago, I finally surrendered. I couldn't remember when the last time was that I had read my Bible or prayed outside of church. I felt so disconnected from God, and it was tearing me up inside. I was desperate to feel Him again. I didn't know what to do, and I knew it would take time to grow and start to feel that "intimacy" with Him again, but I knew I had to start somewhere. So, I went to my bookshelf here at home and found a Bible study I started with a church small group a couple years ago, but never got very far into. It's an 8-week study by Kelly Minter called No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idols. I knew right away that it was exactly what I needed. I started it immediately, and I can honestly say that, with God's help, I am now on the 7th week of the study. I have learned so much about myself and so much about God and my need for Him through this study. Kelly is a great writer and has great insight on the passages of scripture for each day. And on that note, that's what I love best about the study - as great as it is on its own, I love the fact that it challenges me to dig into God's Word every day. I needed that. I HAD to get back into reading my Bible. And I have, in a way that I never have before. I now hunger for time in God's Word every day. I truly look forward to my time with God, first in prayer, and then digging into His Word with an open heart, desiring to hear from Him. I am closer in my walk with God now than I have ever been in my life, and it feels SO good. And it only makes me want to grow closer and closer and closer to Him. That's the awesome thing about it... there's always room to grow in Christ.
Starting the Bible study (and getting that hunger to be in God's Word again) also encouraged me to start reading a devotional every night again. My church puts out the Journey devotional magazine every month, and although I always grabbed one with the intent of reading it, I rarely ever read more than a few days out of each month. Now, however, I look forward to ending my day with a little more time in God's Word. I really like the Journey magazine. Each day has a short devotional paired with a passage of scripture, and I can't tell you how often the devotional and/or scripture talks about something I am struggling with specifically on that day. God's good about stuff like that.
One other thing I'm doing right now is studying through the book A Confident Heart by Renee Swope with a women's small group at my church on Sunday nights. We just started the class two weeks ago, so we haven't gotten very far into it yet, but I'm very excited to see how God chooses to reveal Himself to me and show me that I can have a confident heart in Him.
So, those are the Bible studies and devotions I am enjoying right now. I know this post turned into a bit of a rambling session from me (keep in mind the name of this blog), but I've been meaning to share all of this (what God has been doing in my life lately) for a while now, and I figured this post was as good a time as any.
I want to encourage anyone reading this who isn't having a daily "quiet time" with God to PLEASE start one. You will never know just how important daily time with God - through prayer and spending time in His Word - is until you start having it. It has been such an incredible blessing to me, and I know it will be for you, too.
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