One of the keystone habits that I have tried to develop over the years is to do my devotional first thing in the morning. This is when I spend an hour meditating on God’s word and reflecting on how I can practically apply it in my life.
Unlike the mainstream meditation, I do not sit in silence for one hour and soaking up nothingness. I do not “free” my mind and ward off distractions. Instead I let God’s word dictate what I meditate on.
And I’m telling you, my life has been tremendously changed with this habit!
It gives me a sense of direction for the rest of the day.
It gives me peace, contentment and a feeling of security and assurance that no matter what happens in the day, I can count on God.
It helps me to cross check things in my life and to see whether I am still operating according to His will.
Starting the day with this kind of atmosphere really helps me to be grounded and centered, not in myself, but in Christ. When things don’t happen according to my plans, I find myself less frazzled and stressed because I know all things work together for good according to them that love God.
I also noticed that when I skip devotionals, things just don’t fall properly in place, and there is this empty void, that I’m just going through the motions of daily living. When I do devotionals, every task seem to have an important purpose, and there’s more joy in doing it.
Over the years I’ve developed a morning devotional routine that I have fairly stuck to, more or less. But here’s just how I basically do it.
How I Do It
WAKE-UP (1-2 MINUTES)
Alarm goes off, I say a quick word of prayer, get dressed, freshen up — usually wash my face to get the sleep off, and then drink water.
GO TO MY WORSHIP SPOT (30 SECONDS)
This is something new that I have incorporated in my routine. A special sacred space in the house is dedicated for praying, Bible study, and devotions. I usually leave the Bible and my notebook open at the spot I left it before I sleep so that it’s ready for the next day.
STARTERS (1-2 MINUTES)
I usually say another prayer for guidance as I study His word and to help my mind ward off distraction. It’s takes about a minute or even less. After prayer, I sing a hymn. This year I made a goal to get to know every single melody in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. So I’m singing through the hymnal by singing one hymn a day in order.
BIBLE STUDY (30-35 MINUTES)
I’ve been going through the Bible and digging into it as deep as much as time permits. I’m currently in Exodus and there are times when it’s really taking me awhile to unpack a single verse, especially the laws. But I’m not in a rush. My goal is not to finish the Bible in a year, or read a chapter a day (this was my goal many years ago and it was not as fulfilling as I thought it would be).
So how I would normally do the Bible study itself is divided into three different stages. I may stay in one stage for several days, weeks or even months. Sometimes, I finish a stage in one devotional session. I know I can move on to the next stage when I feel satisfied and I have the answers to my current questions.
APPLICATION (5-10 MINUTES)
I usually conclude the Bible study session by asking myself two questions —what did I learn from that verse? How do I apply what I learned in my personal life? I jot these down in my notebook, and I try to write freely, openly and honestly as possible. This is also the time I take out my planner and review the things I need to do for the day. I normally write it the night before, so I just go through each item and try to listen if this was in God’s will for me that day.
ENDERS (5-10 MINUTES)
I end by praying, a bit longer than a minute at least.
JUMPSTART
I do a 7-minute workout. Ok ok, this one is not a “part of my devotional routine, but I’d like to include it anyway because once I say “Amen,” it’s my cue to move away from the sacred spot. I then take out my exercise mat and start doing the workout. Only after the workout session do I go back to the desk and put away my notebook, close my books, etc.
The three stages of my Bible study
Earlier, I mentioned about dividing my Bible study in stages. I just organized it that way so I know exactly what I need to do each morning. This way, I don’t just go with whatever I feel like reading, or whatever I feel like doing. Here’s a basic layout of how it goes
STAGE 1 || LAYING THE FOUNDATION
1. To get the broader perspective, I first read a chapter or two (depending on the length) and the corresponding Ellen White comments in my Bible.
2. I jot down some notes — questions, certain passages or words that don’t make sense, verses that stood out
3. I focus on only one or two verses or concepts that stood out for me and I ask myself the two questions: What lessons did I learn and how can I apply this to my personal life? I also do some honest reflection on whether I come up to the standard of what the verse is calling for. I normally journal my answers to these.
STAGE 2 || DIGGING DEEP (A LONG STAGE, USUALLY TAKES SEVERAL DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS)
1. I go back to the same chapter I read in stage 1, but focusing on one verse at a time by checking the corresponding verses in the margin and TSK References from E-sword. (I will be writing a post soon about using Bible margins and other Bible Study apps!)
2. To make it clearer for me, I literally re-write the verses according to how I understand it, based from what I read in the Bible to make it more understandable and applicable for me.
For example the verse is: “And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.” Exodus 23:13
I have an idea what circumspect means, but instead of leaning on my own understanding, I would like to know what the Bible exactly means about being circumspect.
Several verses that complement this text would describe “circumspect” to mean to take heed, to keep my soul diligent, to obey His commandments, and to look diligently.
I would rewrite the verse then and put it this way: “And in all things that I have said unto you to take heed, do it, obey it, keep it, look into it diligently and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.” Exodus 23:13
This way my understanding of the verse is amplified and I’m able to see a bigger but more detailed picture.
3. I mull over it a bit and write down more questions. If it can be answered right away — like a certain word is archaic and I’m unsure what it means, I just quickly use the concordance in E-sword. If it requires more time, I put it off for the next Bible study session.
STAGE 3 || DIGGING EVEN DEEPER (THE LONGEST STAGE OF ALL)
1. I review my questions and set out to find the answers to those questions — either by doing another in-depth word search or reading other books that supplement what I’m reading in the Bible. I sort of have a general index on what book I need to go to (see list below under Bible Study Tool), otherwise I would do a word search on the Ellen White software
On Sabbath mornings, I vary my devotional by reading a book instead of doing my usual Bible study. For the beginning of this year, I’m reading Counsels on Stewardship by Ellen White. I still take notes and do the 2 questions and the rest of the steps in the routine.
Bible Study Tools I’m Currently Using
DELUXE STUDY BIBLE
I’m currently using Deluxe Study Bible – Authorized King James Version published by Mission Publishing. It includes marginal verses, Ellen White comments, Biblical maps and charts, Scripture index to the writings of Ellen White, a Bible concordance, basic Bible studies, Chronological tables, fourfold gospel narratives, as well as an indepth introduction of each book. It even has the SDA Hymnal! Unfortunately, it’s currently out of stock in numerous online stores, but check with your local Adventist Book Center.
E-SWORD APP
E-Sword is one of the best Bible study apps ever. It works more like a digital concordance. It basically gives you the supplementary verses that can be applied to the current verse you’re studying. You have to use it with discretion tho. Not everything applies at the same time. It uses cross references with the Strong’s concordance. I’m excited to write more about this tool in a separate post!
ELLEN G. WHITE SOFTWARE
This is an exhaustive collection of all the published books and articles that Ellen White has written. Her writings are categorised into books, devotionals, letters, manuscripts, biographies and her articles that are included in periodicals, pamphlets, and other miscellaneous collections. There’s a section on other reference materials such as dictionaries, study guides, children stories, and many others reference works. Last but not the least, an Adventist Pioneer Library is included which is a collection of all the writings of Adventist Pioneers.
A (GROWING) LIST OF MY BASIC GO-TO BOOKS
Ellen White’s
- Story of Redemption — summary of the whole Bible
- Patriarch and Prophets — a narrative account of Genesis to Deuteronomy
- Prophets and Kings — a narrative account of the books Joshua up to the time of King David and the others that reigned in Israel
- Desire of Ages — a narrative account of the four gospel books and the life of Christ
- Christ Object Lessons — a narrative account of the parables of Jesus
- Acts of the Apostles — a narrative account of the life of the disciples after Christ ascended, as well as the books written by Paul and John
- Great Controversy — a narrative account of what happens after the New Testament. Begins with destruction of Jerusalem, then the story of reformation and then the climactic events that will usher in the second coming of Christ
Stephen Haskell’s
- Cross and the Shadow — a study on the Sanctuary
- Story of the Seer of Patmos — a study on the book of Revelation
The best investment of time
Basically the idea is spending that one hour gaining a deeper understanding of God’s Word. One hour seemed so long for me before, but when I started spending it this way, the time was never enough! This routine has just been one of the most fulfilling ways I’ve ever done for a morning devotional.
Try it for yourself!
What is one habit that will totally make this year for you? How do you do your devotionals? Let me know your thoughts by writing it in the comment section below.
