Sunday, October 17, 2010

Our daily struggle

Recently I had someone come and speak at our church about discipleship. It was a great and challenging weekend. Yet this post isn't about discipleship, that is, it isn't about making disciples but about being a disciple.

The presenter while talking about 'personal devotions' said something simple yet thought provoking. Before getting to what was said, I would venture to say that the majority of Christians struggle with their 'personal devotions.'

First we must at least begin to define what a Christian really means by the use of the phrase 'personal devotions.' I would say most feel it's something 'we do' usually in the mornings or hopefully sometime during the day before we hit the bed at night. What 'we do' is pray, spend time reading the bible, perhaps even journal what you've read in the bible. Seems essentially simple enough, right?

Well it may sound simple but a few month's ago I took a pop poll in the Sabbath school class that I was teaching (same thing as a Sunday school:-) and though I was delighted that they were honest, I was saddened by it's result. Less than 50% of them had read their bible everyday. Professional polls that I've read and I'm sure some of you have also basically attest to the same thing.

Many call themselves bible believing Christians but simply stated, 'don't read the bible.'

Bottom line it's a struggle!

Perhaps it's a struggle because many see it as something 'we do' as oppose as seeing it as something 'God wants to do in us!' This was the thought provoking idea the presenter at our discipleship weekend mentioned. I know what your thinking not so thought provoking, ok maybe then a provoking reminder.

A reminder that God wants to do mighty things in the lives of the people that are called by His name, the very ones that call themselves followers of Jesus yet rarely read the Holy Spirit inspired book that speaks of Him!

It seems simple enough, right? Pray, read the bible, God begins 'to do' things in your life. I wonder if it's so simple why we struggle so much?

Javi

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