Present
The thing they say about habits taking 21 days to form is so true. Well, in my case anyway. This particular habit (of not having devotion) is one I’d rather not cling to. That probably seems slightly perplexing given that this is a devotional blog and there’s been a post every week this year (except one). However, the vast majority of topics are planned in advance and once you know what you’re writing about the words tend to flow… usually. I never intended to write on autopilot. It just happened. Last Sunday, as I gazed at the spreadsheet of topics, I just couldn’t bring myself to write about the next thing. Soliciting alternative blog topics from friends didn’t help either. Writing always came from a place of genuine excitement about what I’d studied or learned. It wasn’t forced. I need to rekindle my love for devotion sans writing because spending time with God intermittently (i.e. just for blogging’s sake) feels strange.
Future
Well, it looks as though I’ll have to take my own advice from So You’ve Stopped Having Devotions? – I want the same energy that that Grace had! There are lots of things I still want to write about, so this definitely isn’t the end of blogging. However, a healthy devotional life is the main priority since I can’t pour from an empty cup. Feel free to email topic suggestions via the Contact page. If you’re worried, I promise I’m ok. Nothing terrible has happened, but I happen to think that not having a consistent devotional life is terrible enough. Whether this is the first blog post you’ve read, or the 60th – thank you so much for reading! I appreciate it more than you know, and I truly hope that you’ve been blessed. All being well, I’ll see you again in January!
Applied
- Don’t be led by feelings – in Gethsemane, it was apparent that Jesus didn’t feel like dying for us (Luke 22:42). He did it because it was the right thing to do. I didn’t feel like having devotions and so I didn’t. Trouble is, sometimes you have to do something out of discipline before you do it out of desire.
- Don’t assume all is well – the disciples couldn’t tell which one of them would betray Jesus (John 13:21-22), which means that on the outside they all seemed like ‘good’ disciples. I’m sure you probably wouldn’t have thought my devotional life was currently non-existent, right? Likewise there are probably people in your life that you assume are doing ok, but they’re not. Check on them.
- Don’t serve on autopilot – God doesn’t want human robots doing His work. He knows your heart and He sees your motives (1 Chronicles 28:9a). Whatever your gift or talent is, use it with passion, not because you’re ‘used to it’ i.e. going through the motions.
So…
There will definitely be times where you don’t feel like having devotion. Spend time with Him regardless… even if it’s just to express your lack of motivation. It’s far better for you to work out your issues with God, than without Him.
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