If you’re raised in a family that loves God with all everything it got, or if you’ve been attending church at a very young age, you’ve probably came across many sayings about devotions. When I was young, I never understood the reason to have devotion. I did spend time to quickly plow through the Bible for an ‘Amen’, but I never understood the essence. Devotions, is so much more than just reading the Bible, or an increase in Biblical knowledge, but the spark to transformation of your life, and the ‘lovey-dovey’ times between you and The One who loves you more than you love yourself. Devotions is a time where you get soaked in God’s presence.
Imagine this: You are submerging and sinking. The space between you and the surface is enlarging, and the bottom doesn’t seem to have an end. You’re sinking, but you’re not drowning, nor are you engulfed by water. The substance that touches every corner of you, is a warm, cozy, watery-like aroma. It’s like you’re dumped into a hot, foamy fountain, and you just want to stay in that place of warmth, comfort, peace and satisfaction for the rest of your days. This is what it feels for me, when I get soaked in God’s presence.
I do devotions before I go to sleep. The reason so, is because at the end of the day, I have finished every other task, and I can place a full-hearted attention to God; laying down my worries and earthly troubles. Of course, there’s no problem with people who do devotions at daybreak, or at any time of a day.
Devotions for me, is analyzing the Word of God, and searching for applications. I try to take every verse as an application for a sermon, and I sleep amazed for the profoundness of God’s word, when I find it practical. Apart from devotion, I have worship every day for at least 30 minutes. In the time of worship I am refreshed by the Holy Spirit, and when I sing my favorite worship songs, I can feel the vivid presence of my King abiding in my heart. However, the Word of God stays as it is, and it is the solid rock for the foundation of our belief.
Devotions also acts as an implant of a spiritual seal. When I refresh myself in reading God’s Word, listening to His voice, and abiding in His presence; my heart and soul is filled with Him. Due to the solidity of His Word and the overwhelming satisfaction of His presence, I sleep with joy and spiritual satisfaction, which carries on to the next day. There’s no space in me to think of stuff that displeases God, because I am completely renewed and filled with the Holy Spirit. I find myself less-prone to sin when I have a quality devotional time, even though I hate sin with all my heart and soul and mind.
I believe some of you will think ‘so what does that have to do with me?’ or simply ‘so what’. You see, being a Christian isn’t about blind faith. Our faith in God is not simply a bet in luck or a bet in the unseen. Christianity is a relationship, and in a relationship, there’s communication. Therefore, when Christianity isn’t a religion, but a relationship, we’re not seeking holiness and purification blindly because the Bible tells us so. We’re doing it, because we have a relationship with God, who sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins. When you’re in a relationship with someone, you feel the presence of that person beside you. In the same way, if you have a relationship with God, by loving Him with all your heart, mind and soul, you will feel Him; and feeling God, is like you’re engulfed in a warm, cozy aroma, which gives you peace, comfort, joy, hope and love.
We hear a lot about ‘bad’ people experiencing massive change in life after they’ve turned to Christ. You might think ‘that’s cool’, or perhaps you believe that you’ve been a Christian all along, but you don’t really feel anything. However, I can guarantee you, that if you feel that you’re lacking a purpose in life, a reason for living, or an identity which you are satisfied with; a relationship with God will provide solutions to all of that. This is why there are so many famous people, whom we may think are having a perfect life, finding true fulfillment and worth after getting to know Jesus as a personal Saviour and friend.
Building a relationship requires time. Likewise, to have a relationship with God, requires time as well. I don’t know if you have a best friend or not, but if you do, I believe there must be some experiences which turned a mere friend of yours to being you best friend. However, as I mentioned in the first place, to have a relationship with God, requires you to love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul - which is a hard thing to do from the very start.
This is why I would encourage you, if you want to experience God and have a relationship with the Almighty One, to start off slowly into spending time with Him. A relationship will obviously require time spent on each other. Take a time every day, to temporarily forget everything, and talk to God. Tell Him your struggles, problems, joyous moments and most importantly - about your request to have a relationship with Him. Ask God to speak to you, to guide your life, and finally, thank Him for who He is and what He’s done in your life. You might not see what He’s done, but one day, if you have a relationship with God, you will look back, and find how much God has blessed you!
Finally, take a few minutes every day, to look up the Word of God. Maybe find a devotional guide book, but most importantly, do devotions with a purpose. Do devotions so that you may encounter God and seek more about who He is, for God and His contrivances are enlisted in His Word. Persist to knowing more about God, and your life will be transformed by a spark.
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