What Really Is A Devotional?

The other day I was pondering the question, “Where did the idea of a daily devotion or devotional books come from?” I did some research, but came up empty handed as to where they originated or who wrote the first one….hum. My reason for asking is because the term “I did my devotions” or “I read my daily devotion” has begun to strike me as odd. How do you read devotion? You can’t. So where did all this come from? Why are there so many books written as devotionals? Are we not to live our lives as ones of pure devotion to God? So how have we come to having a few minutes of daily devotion with Him?

There’s a great possibility that daily devotional books have misled many us into a false sense of security. They have led us to believe that if we spend a few minutes each day doing the “The Upper Room” or “Daily Bread’ that we have done our duty for the day. And now with our vast technology we can open an email and one is waiting for us from a number of different ministries, or we can surf the web and find them in a flash. Our choice.

I guess my problem with all of this is the wording, “Devotional” really what does that mean?

For several years I worked in the OB/GYN clinic of a large city hospital. And many of my coworkers who professed to be Christians would sit at their desk and read their daily devotions before the clinic opened. But they spent the rest of the day stealing time from our employer and God by, talking on personal phone calls when they should be working, gossiping and trying to do as little work as possible. Yet they faithfully did their devotionals each morning for all to see. Somehow, we have gotten into the habit of doing a “devotional” and then not reading anything else in the Bible. That’s a huge problem for us as Believers. It is impossible that any particular devotional on any given day is going to inspire and speak to everyone who reads it. Why? Because it is done by a human and therefore has that person’s perspective on whatever the subject or scripture is for that day. (Just like this blog, it is my perspective.) But the Bible, now that’s a different story. The Bible is here to inspire, and provoke you every time you read it. Why? Because it is God’s perspective, instructed by His Holy Spirit—not man.

Daily devotions have the potential to feed into our laziness to not read the Bible. Take for instance the Facebook link, “God wants you to know today,” don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying not to read them or they aren’t any good, but I am saying that they are not enough! They cannot replace spending time reading our Bibles. Over the years I’ve read many “devotionals” and books to help me grow in the things of the Lord, but my greatest turning points in life have always come from what I’ve read in my Bible. I think for many of us we forget or don’t know that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Personally I would like to see all devotional books called books of “Meditation” or “Inspiration” and used in that way. Not used as something we do for a few minutes each day and we’re done, feeling we have spent some kind of magic devotion time with God. True devotion to God is a way of life and cannot be squeezed into a 15 minute time frame. As parents we are devoted to our kids, and as wives we are devoted to our husbands. We all know that is a 24/7 devotion as it should also be with us for God.

If you are one who reads a daily devotional, I want to challenge you to read your Bible instead for one week, asking the Holy Spirit to show you what to read. Do that each morning or whatever time you have set aside during your day. See what you might discover on your own being lead only by the Spirit of the Lord.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie

See you tomorrow!