How to Structure My Daily DevotionalsSample

Reading God’s Word Daily

Every Christian everywhere desires to know the Word of God.  We know from the instructions of the Old and New Testament that we should be reading the Bible regularly. We need to be getting the Word of God inside of us not only on Sundays but throughout the week.  In fact, it should be in our thoughts and lives every single day. In American Christian culture, we call these times spent praying and studying the Word of God “daily devotionals.” Yet, even though we know as Christians that we need to study God’s Word regularly, we frequently wonder about the best structure for such devotionals.

Interestingly enough, while the Bible tells us the basics of what we need to do daily as part of our Christian devotion, it gives us freedom as to how to do it. Basic elements of our daily devotionals include prayer, Bible reading, and time meditating on what has been read. There is liberty, however, in how that gets accomplished. There are no rules set in the Old or New Testament of exactly how we are to read God’s Word. There is an indication that we need to study the Bible daily. However, the terms of when, where, and how much has to be read, are up to each individual. The most important thing is to do it. 

If you are a beginner and you are struggling with establishing the discipline of daily Bible reading, start with simple practical activities. For example, put your Bible on your nightstand. You will see it before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. This will remind you to read God’s Word every day. Also, do not worry about measuring yourself against anyone else. Consider other people’s examples of daily devotionals to encourage you or give you ideas on how to do it, but do not take on any guilt if your devotional life does not look exactly like theirs. Some people might have learned to read many chapters of the Bible and pray for hours every day. Do not feel guilty if you cannot do that yet. Start with what you can do. You can start with only one chapter as long as you do it daily. Read as much as you can. Do whatever it takes to establish a pattern of regularly reading the Word of God. Just do it!