We are not meant to life the Christian life on our own. Christ wants to live through us. Galatians 2:20 says: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Christ gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us from the moment we first believe. That Spirit gives us wisdom, direction, love for people, courage, fruit of the Spirit, everything we need for ministry ...if only we'll take time to learn and to listen.
What happens when I get so busy in my activities - or trying to figure out what is best - that I don't take time to read from Scripture and pray? I plunge ahead into trying to fix someone or something without Christ. Instead of gratitude, I meet resistance; instead of God being glorified, I am just exhausted.
Big decisions in life drive people to God for guidance. Very needy times drive most people to God, pleading for help. But it is the ordinary days, days packed with duties and responsibilities, when a consistent devotional life with God is so essential. On these ordinary days, I learn who God is and how God wants me to live.
Much of ministry is through ordinary things. People watch for evidence of Jesus in the ways I live: in how I deal with disruptions in my day; how I treat my family members, my co-workers, and those difficult-to-love church members; in what my priorities are and where my joy comes from.
I want to be available to Christ every day and all day long. That kind of closeness with Christ comes from daily spending time alone with God. On these days I build the openness and trust in my relationship with God that is both my compass and my anchor when difficult times come.
This past spring, we learned the importance of prayer as Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer. Here I'd like to focus on reading Scripture as a part of our devotional life. There are four reasons that reading the Bible regularly and often should be a part of our daily devotional time. It builds our faith, reveals our inmost self, keeps us from sin, and is useful in our ministry.
The Scriptures teach me who God is, why Jesus came, and the meaning of Christ dwelling in us. In reading, I am reminded of God's goodness, loving kindness, justice, and that God knows all and controls all. As I come to know the true God, my faith and trust grow: "So then faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:16).
As I read, the Holy Spirit both reveals the desires of my heart and convicts me of sin. The Bible says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).
While I am reading the Bible, my inmost self - my heart with its deepest desires - responds.
God already knows the desires of our heart and is delighted to grant them in the best ways and at the best times. Other specific desires for things or better circumstances can shout and make it hard to hear our deepest desires: desires for love, for purpose, for belonging, for peace, for truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the true desires of your health.
Scripture also makes me aware of thoughts and attitudes that come from my old nature, my self-centered sin nature. God wants to free us from areas in our lives in which we are slaves to sin. We can use our daily devotional time to confess sin and accept God's forgiveness. As the Scripture promises, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:8-9). Sometimes, however, we still have to face the consequences of our sin.
Finally, Scripture is very practical and useful in our ministry. The Bible itself reveals that it is inspired by God. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16). From Scripture we learn about undeserved grace and mercy. We learn courage in the face of persecution. We learn persevering through disappointment, about dealing with loss and carrying one another's burdens, about rejoicing with others when they are blessed, and about the certain promise of eternal life.
I hope you are convinced of the importance of spending regular time reading God's word. It builds faith, reveals our inmost self, keeps us from sin and is useful in our ministry.
Now for the details: How can we find time for regular Bible reading and prayer in our busy lives? There are many options. Before I had children, I got up with my husband so that each of us could spend a "quiet time" with God first thing. When I had infants, I read Scripture aloud while nursing or sang along with Christian nursery songs. When I had little children who woke early, we both switched to nighttime quiet times just before sleeping. With older children, it's possible to have family devotional time around a meal.
Some of you have long commutes, and you listen to Scripture or a daily devotional message while you drive. When I have sleepless nights, I read Psalms. When I'm sick, I go back to listening to music. Don't hesitate to enlist your husband's help - ask him to help you develop a discipline that works best with your lifestyle.
By Suzanne M. Kilner
Faculty Wife Advisor to Trinity Wives Fellowship
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