Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Great Devotional

Sometimes life's journey takes you through a patch where having no routine becomes routine. I've always been one of those people (those people) that found it hard to believe that you couldn't manage your own time - until very recently. One of the things I learned from a close friend is that for a dad or husband or godly single dude or any other guy that wants to be a man of God is that a devotional life is a non-negotiable. Dan introduced me to Bill Hybels book Too Busy Not to Pray. The idea, of course, is that there are no excuses not to be in touch with God. You can't be too busy. If you are too busy, if you're buried, that's all the more motivation to be tapped into God and His Word.

Most years, for the past thirteen years, I've read through the whole Bible using a reading plan (click here to download mine). Last year, I felt like I needed to just read through the gospels over and over. I had a personal conviction that I didn't understand Jesus the way I needed to in life, ministry, or political thinking, so I read through His story repeatedly in 2006. In 2007, I resolved to get back on track with my through the Bible in a year routine, plus study the life of David, my all time favorite Bible character by working my way through First and Second Samuel. I didn't have enough of the warrior/poet/king thing going on in my life and that was going to change in 2007.

Well, in 2007, things did change. My life has been flipped inside-out and control of my schedule has been turned over to a one year old baby girl that's suffered brain trauma. So everything I've scheduled in my life for the next five years has been derailed; the train has jumped the track and I have no idea where it's going. I don't know when or if I'll ever be able to have a routine devotional schedule again. So, for the time being, I've resorted to advice given by Dr. Bob Barnes when he spoke at our church. Read through a chapter of Proverbs if you're lacking something to read during your quiet time. There are thrity-one chapters in Proverbs and up to thirty-one days in a month. Read, pray through, and meditate on the chapter that corresponds with today's date. Today is August 22, so I'll read chapter 22. I'll that 'til Ali decides to get up.

So that's how I'm doing it. I've never needed wisdom more than now. If I miss a day, I don't freak out; I don't catch up. I just read the chapter that corresponds with the next day's date. And I make the most of it. I read through. I pray through it. I journal through it.

Anyone else have any good Bible reading system? Tell me about it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bryon: I use the One-Year Bible. It's already broken down into every date of the year. It has some OT, NT, Psalm & Proverbs for every day.

I've used this One-Year Bible for 20 years now!

I'll be praying for God to show you other ways of Bible study, too. Just thought I'd throw in how I do it, because you asked.

Please tell Susan I said hey....and I sure am going to miss her at the Women's Bible studies this year.

Love in Christ, Susan Beckman

Anonymous said...

I do the One Year Bible too. If you don't have time to read, you can listen to it on podcast or online at The One Year Bible On Radio:

http://www.bibleonradio.com

The website goes through the New Living Translation.

I love the voice of the gentleman who narrates, Tom Dooley. His other website,
http://www.mastermedia.org, has his daily radio program called "The Journey" which I highly recommend. Also available in a podcast.

Praying that God pushes around your schedule and Ali's too for more time with Him.