Therapy God's Way - How should we approach personal "devotions"?

One of the basic disciplines of the Xian life is setting aside time and giving attention to personal "devotions". For many Xians there are countless joys and blessings to be had in spending time in God's word. However, for many Xians there are a variety of pitfalls to be avoided and/or corrected.

I've linked an article below in which the author points out that one of the pitfalls is that of approaching personal devotions with, "a mixture of legalism, Keswick experience, a reading of any portion of scripture...and just plain hope that something will spring off the pages to make them spiritual".

Another pitfall for some is entering into personal devotions in order to "get something fresh (seemingly from God) even though it may have nothing to do with what the Holy Spirit intended the passage to say." And still others seek "an experience with God that imparts a spiritual zap, lift or power that drives away the problems for that day. It makes no difference whether or not the believer now knows God or himself or how to handle life more Biblically or not."

I don't know about you, but I recognize some of these approaches at one time or another in my Xian life--and recall how dry they left me after a very short time. I think the author definitely hit the mark in his closing comments when he wrote, "I am in such desperate need of God's truth that every time I go to the Bible I must always hear, read, study, memorize or meditate looking to know Him, praise and thank Him, or honor and obey Him".

You can read the article HERE.