"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Joshua 1:8, ESV
It so often feels that we're trying to catch up with time, and one of the first life essentials that goes out the window is our personal time with God. But to understand the access Christ gives us now and the price that had to be paid for us to enter God's presence, we will not take devotionals for granted.
I have to admit that there can be days that I read the Bible out of obligation instead of delight, and many of the times that happens is when I'm neck deep in responsibilities and deliverables. But most of the time that happens on days when I am less productive and less motivated to do the work of the Lord.
Our time spent with God, reading His word and interceding with a worshipful heart, is hands down the most essential part of any believer's day. Just as Job 23:12 says, "I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food" (ESV). Sure, it's important to eat, but it's just as important—or even more important—to dwell in the presence of the Lord.
And many times we treat devotions with the Lord as nothing more than a task to tick off, regardless of how long or what happens during those moments. We spend one minute scanning through the Bible and think we're good for the day. And while devotions have nothing to do with the time we spend with the Lord, they also have nothing to do with just simple compliance.
Nothing could be better and more effective than coming to the Lord before a busy day. If we set aside time to come to Jesus and lay our burdens upon Him, we can get more done in time spent basking in the presence of God than we can busting out things on our own.
Acts 1:8a tells us, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." (ESV). When we align ourselves with the Spirit of God, we receive power. The word for 'power' used here is the Greek word 'dunamis,' where we get the words 'dynamic' and 'dynamite.' God wants to give us explosive and dynamic power to conquer our days, but it takes receiving His Holy Spirit into our hearts on a daily basis.
When we connect with God, we connect with His power and ability. Don't waste any opportunity to tap into His might and resources. One-minute Bible scans are nice, but not as helpful as taking as much time as you can to soak in the presence of God—not out of obligation but out of a delight and understanding that we cannot move dynamically without God's presence through Christ.
